Edible Packaging

Edible Packaging

Driven by a passion for sustainable practices, the team at Aylesbury Box Company take interest in innovative packaging solutions. This has led us to research on the potential of mushrooms as an insulating packaging material.

As fungi grow, they send out a network of underground fibres called mycelium. It turns out that this mycelium can be cultivated into strong, lightweight, moisture resistant packaging material. We’d certainly be interested to try it out!

Fungi packaging is in the early stages of development, but it could prove to be a substitute from many foam and plastic based products. Those involved in the development of fungi products see a future where it is possible to grow far more than a naturally insulating packaging material.

Living in Toadstools: Not just for Pixies

In 2014, the temporary outdoor summer venue at the Museum of Modern Art was built from bricks. These bricks were grown by a company called Ecovative. They were made from fungi. At the end of the summer season, the fully biodegradable bricks were easy to dispose of in an environmentally friendly way.

Artist Philip Ross has also been growing bricks for his installations. He says that they are stronger, pound for pound, than concrete, yet incredibly lightweight.

Meanwhile Aleksi Vesaluoma, a Brunel University student, has been working with Astudio architects in London. Their aim is to grow fire and water resistant architectural structures from cardboard and mycelium mix. Draping cotton bandages over large moulds and leaving the fungi to grow over the bandages in greenhouse conditions for a month has resulted in a viable framework for a temporary building.

This Grown Structures project is hoping to further develop and promote the possibilities for cultivated architecture. Could a solution for the housing crisis be to ‘grow your own’ home? I can already hear my dad cracking jokes about’ how mushroom there is inside’…

Sustainable Packaging

We’ve not had the chance to test a mycelium packaging material as yet, but Aylesbury Box Company has alternative sustainable solutions. Our cardboard boxes can be produced from 100% recycled materials and are recyclable at the end of use. We also encourage our customers to consider cardboard inserts or Woolcool liners in place of plastic or foam. Get in touch if you would like to find out more.