One tenth ofall furniturein Britain is from Ikea . Together withthe restof the European , Asiatic and North American sales – that ’s a inferno of a spate of piece of furniture . But along with all the misplaced prison guard and married argumentation that hail with its flat - mob article of furniture , comes a comely amount of packaging too . While the bulk of its cardboard packaging can be recycled , many packages come with a protective sheet of paper ofpolystyrenefoam , which take one C of year to biodegrade .
To serve hold in this unhealthy trust on polystyrene , the Swedish matted - pack furniture hulk are looking into using biodegradable “ Mushroom Packaging,“The Telegraphreports .
The production has been developed byEcovative , who create a polystyrene - like material from the mycelium of fungi . Mycelium are the thread - similar branches that make up the vegetational part of the fungi .
Themycelium growaround sanitized corn stalks or straw from local agricultural waste . After a span of days of growth , the mycelium create an interwoven solid structure that fills any emptiness it ’s station in , meaning it can be molded to more or less any form . The last of the summons regard exsiccate the fungi to prevent it from develop further and spud mushrooms .
Mycelium growing . Ecovative .
Using these methods they can also make a stronger fabric that can be used as a reliever for particleboard , plywood , and fiberboard .
Best of all , the fabric will biodegrade on a compost mess in a topic of workweek , although persist static in dry surroundings .
An Ikea voice toldThe Telegraph : “ We always look for new and innovational physical process and sustainable materials that can contribute to our commitment . Mycelium is one of the textile IKEA is take care into , but it is presently not used in production . "
Ikea are n’t the first society to show interest in mycelium - based packaging . Ecovative already havepackaging dealswith the computer party Dell and Stanhope Seta – a leading laboratory instruments manufacturer .
