I’ve Been Holding the Forest Together. Now I’ll Hold Your Packaging Too.
You might not know me, but you’ve stepped on me. Countless times, probably. I live underground, laced through the roots of trees, binding soil, sharing nutrients, whispering warnings from one plant to another.
You call me mycelium.
I’m the bit of the fungus you don’t usually see, more network than body, more conversation than structure. But I’m also practical. Clever. Resourceful. While you’ve been choking the planet with plastic, I’ve quietly evolved a better way.
Now, thanks to a few curious humans, I’m being grown into packaging. Real, usable, protective packaging. Moulded to shape, strong enough to cradle your gadgets and glassware, and when you’re done with it, I just… break down. Feed the earth. Carry on.
No microplastics. No “recycling” that ends up shipped across the sea. Just me, returning to where I came from.
How it works.
Some of your kind take agricultural waste, bits of hemp, straw, husks, and give me something to grow through. They put it in a mould, shape it how they want, and let me do the rest. A few days later, I’ve turned that waste into a snug, natural form. Then they dry me out to keep me stable.
Light as foam. Tough as wood. No toxins, no nonsense.
You’re impressed, I can tell.
You should be. But I’ve always done this. I hold up trees, decompose the fallen, connect whole woodlands in one vast threadlike mind. You’re just starting to realise I can hold up your fragile goods too.
Yes, it’s early days. I can’t compete with oil-based packaging yet, not in volume, not in cost. But let’s be honest: cost is a question of priority. And priorities are shifting. Fast.
The future?
I’ll still be here, doing what I’ve done for millions of years. Breaking down what’s no longer needed. Nourishing what’s next. If you’d like to stop clogging the planet with rubbish that lasts longer than your grandchildren, I’m here for that too.
Just don’t forget: I was never the understudy in this story. I’ve always been the scaffolding.
You’re just finally listening.
Images taken from the leaders in this field; https://mushroompackaging.com https://www.grown.bio
