Inside the Company Making Plastic from Fungus
Since its inception, plastic has changed the world as we know it. It's cheap, versatile, and makes up most of the objects we use on a daily basis. But the material has some major drawbacks: It uses non-renewable oil resources, and it sticks around forever, which is a big problem considering the frequency that we dump this material back into landfills.
Now, scientists and designers are looking to an unlikely source that they hope will eventually replace plastic when it comes some of these everyday material uses- they're looking to fungus.
By culturing fungi in a variety of ways, we can now more and more kinds of plastic products mimic, but without the disadvantages. Mold materials can be discarded after use without worry, because they are completely broken down by nature.
In this episode of Upgrade, Motherboard dives head first into the R+D world surrounding the development of fungi as a viable replacement for plastic, and the people who hope it can lead to a better and more sustainable future.
*This video originally aired on MOTHERBOARD in 2015
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