Innovative ways of using mycelium (AKA the root structure of fungus) is rapidly taking off and this RMIT alum hopes the compostable alternative will soon replace plastic packaging.

RMIT alum, entrepreneur and part-time sessional lecturer Amanda Morgan first learned about the wonders of mycelium when she began following the work of microbiologist Tradd Cotter, who was growing oyster mushrooms in rolls of old denim jeans. By doing so, he was recycling fabric and also using it to grow new materials.

This regenerative practice tied in with the strong sustainability focus embedded into the Bachelor of Fashion (Design) that Amanda graduated with in 2018.

“Through my degree, I was looking for methods to recapture and recycle textile waste,” she said.

“Sustainability is now a fundamental part of every industry in the sense that we don’t have the option to not be sustainable. In fact, the step beyond that is to be regenerative or feeding back into the systems that feed us. And I think fungi are quite inspirational for that.”

A person holding up a large, fan-shaped mushroom structure with both hands in front of their face, in a red indoor setting. Photo by Eli May Studios.

How mushrooms make leather and other products

Most of us know mushrooms from what we see in supermarkets and on our plates, but that is only the fruit of the fungus. What grows underneath is a tough web of fine, tightly bound strands.

It not only breaks down organic matter efficiently, but when compacted it can be shaped into various lightweight forms to provide protection and insulation. It also decomposes in a matter of weeks once added to the garden compost, unlike polystyrene, which takes more than 500 years to break down.

Homewares empire IKEA began replacing polystyrene packaging with mycelium packaging in 2019 and computer giant Dell began using it for server shipping back in 2011.

Mycelium is very versatile and its surface can even be used to make a leather-style fabric.

“You harvest the top layer of it, and then you can make it into a flexible leather-like material. It feels very much like a leather, it performs very similarly to a leather, but is obviously made from fungus instead of an animal.

“But it works because it’s got a very similar mechanical structure to skin, essentially.”

Mycelium leather takes four to five days to grow, whereas animal leather is usually harvested after four or five years of growth.

Read the full story at RMIT Australia.