Appreciation: Ikea to Use Mushroom Packaging That Will Decompose in a Garden Within Weeks

Ikea to Use Mushroom Packaging That Will Decompose in a Garden Within Weeks

 

More packaging news:

.. a sustainable, carbon-negative mycelium packaging...

These Candles are Shipped to You in Eco-Friendly Mycelium Packaging - PLAIN Magazine

 

How this packaging mycelium can possibly be carbon-negative?
Another greenwashing slogan?

 

This packaging material has some (probably slight) potential to be carbon-negative, if it is composted and used to feed plant growth. I doubt that they calculated all of the CO2 generated in manufacturing and shipping the material.

 

AFAIK, composting releases CO2 into the atmosphere, it does not remove CO2.
If they did not calculate the actual outcome of the full manufacturing and usage cycle of the material, then this beeing carbon-negative is a false claim.

 

Trees that feed on the compost remove CO2, at least temporarily.

 

Trees are only sligthly carbon-negative, almost carbon-neutral, if they grow without human's intervention.
Even forestry as a sector is carbon-positive, because every cubic metre of timber is calculated as released into the atmosphere at once, right after felling, or after certain period, that is relatively short, depending on usage purpose of this timber.
So trees can handle only CO2 amount, that will release when these trees decompose, no more!
How could this mushroom packaging possibly be carbon-negative? Doesn't it involve any transportation and processing at all? Does this material decomposes to diamonds, graphite or coal?

You can plant trees onto exhausted gas fields and oil fields or depleted coal quarries, but that does not make usage of fossil fuels carbon-negative.

 

Fascinating discussion guys, I have been reading up on this and it appears that IKEA have slightly overstepped the mark in their claims. It is definatly not carbon negative.

This link explains it far better than I can.

Mushroom Packaging - Sustainability Guide

 

It's more about avoiding plastic pollution, than CO₂ reduction.

 

Agree with Michael F, anything to reduce the use of plastic packaging has got to be worth it.

 

I don't believe that there is any environmental benefits compared to paper packaging. This mushroom packaging may use agricultural byproducts as a raw material, but, as I imagine, demands high amount of confined space, molds and time to produce considerable amount of packaging.
It possibly remains as a niche product, but will hardly have any large effect on reduction of plastic wastes.

 

@Sulev good morning Sulev, I am more than happy to receive anything packed in cardboard or paper as I compost this. I wonder if a scientific study has been done on cardboard v fungi !!?

 

Here protective packaging materials and profiles are produced from a recycled paper.
Frontpage | Räpina Paberivabrik
Earlier they made egg cartons also, but it seems, that plastic has won the battle there.
Growing mushrooms needs indoor rooms with high humidity and mild temperatures. It takes several days, to get a tinyest piece of production, hence large area and lots of transportation is needed. Paper production is rather quick and compact.

 

@Sulev thanks Sulev, interesting to hear that plastic has won the day re egg boxes. All mine come in cardboard so I am able to compost these also.
Great insight from your country though.

 

Plastic has won in that sense, that Räpina paper mill does not produce egg cartons any more. I think ca 80% of eggs, that are sold here, are now in the plastic package (it was the opposite only 5...10 years ago). One can still buy carton packaged eggs (in imported packaging), but that limits his/her selection options considerably.

Edit: I found out, that since 2012 one company, who is specialized on charcoal production, has started to make egg cartons of recycled paper. So all remaining egg cartons here are not imported after all.

 

Let's hope it turns around again Sulev for everyone's sake. But as we all know it is about 'costs' and probably even more these days with countries going into long term lockdowns, where we do not know how all of this is going to end.
Unemployment going through the roof so to speak, will mean the environment will sadly take a back seat.

 

Recent video blurb on a company called Evocative

 

Looks like this is going to happen world wide now. If it does the trick on helping the environment, then I'm all for it.

 

Related (fromSciShow):
The Truth About Biodegradable Plastic

 

Really interesting video @allelopath, but I wonder if J @Frog might want this moved to the Bio diversity forum.
Thanks for sharing it though. Perhaps more should be told about the truth on Biodegradable plastics.