Source: Business Insider
MycoWorks, a startup, is using fungi to produce leather substitutes and their methods are not only faster but cheaper as well.
Phil Ross, the chief technical officer of MycoWorks, has been collecting and growing mushrooms ever since the 1980’s. By doing so, he was able to discover different possibilities that result from controlling the growing conditions of the mushroom Mycelium. Mycelium is the web-like fibers that extend through sold or different decaying matter to gather nutrients.
According to Ross, “Fungi are very sensitive; they will change their growth in relationship to how they’re being poked and things like that. You put it in a cup, it would take the shape of a cup.”
The mushrooms were grown and fed with agricultural waste like corn cobs and saw dust while they altered the different conditions affecting the mushroom. This includes humidity, gas exchange, exposure to light, and temperature to push the fungi to grow in different ways, and produce different textures, as well as resulting with different durability. They were even able to grow a material that was hard enough to be used as a chair!
Currently, the company is using Ganoderma lucidum, which is also known as the reishi mushroom since it has been proven to be safe for human skin as well as for consumption.
Source: YouTube, SciFri
When creating regular leather, it usually takes around two years for a cow to mature enough to cultivate leather. The company’s leather that is made from mushrooms however, only takes two weeks! It also needs very little to grow the fungi with regards, to space, food, and everything else that is needed to get the end product as compared to animals.
In addition to this, mushroom leather is highly sustainable and does not involve environmental hazards. Unlike animal leather that needs to go through tanneries which involves discarding highly polluted water, solid wastes and gases.
Source: Mycoworks
According to the company website, their end product is “strong, flexible, and durable, just like conventional leathers. It is also water-resistant. And since it’s made from natural fibers, it breathes and feels like leather.” Their mushroom leather is also customizable, as they are able to grow different textures and other features directly into their material. Unlike animal hides, their materials are capable of being grown into almost any size and shape.
The environmental impact that this product brings will also certainly help in battling climate change. They also make use of a “closed-loop” process, wherein the use abundant natural fibers to be able to create 100% biodegradable materials. Therefore it is an “infinitely renewable technology”.
The company hopes that their product will be a staple in other industries and will be used for different products other than leather like wood and plastic.
