Polystyrene Funiture Packaging Material in IKEA

Recently, Swedish home goods giant IKEA said, IKEA plans to use environmentally friendly packaging materials made of mushrooms to instead of polystyrene materials.

The minister of Sustainable Development in UK IKEA, Joanna• Yarrow said that as a flat-pack furniture retailer, IKEA is considering using biodegradable "mushroom packaging materials" to reduce waste of resources, promote recycling.

Joanna said: "We are looking for innovative material to replace the existing packaging materials, such as using such material fungus mycelium alternative to polystyrene."


Mycelium is formed by a large number of tubular hyphae slender structure, that rooted in the soil.

The US Ecovative company let mycelium grow in this clean environment which is around corn stover, corn bran and other agricultural waste, this fungus breed product is called "mushroom packaging material".

Just after a few days, fungi fiber wound around the waste, which is solid and strong, followed to prevent fungal growth by drying.

 

Ms. Yarrow said IKEA is considering to introduce mycelium packaging materials, because "many products are used by the polystyrene packaging material, but this material is extremely difficult, but these waste polystyrene material can be reused as frame products by INTCO group." So, it is necessary to recycle Styrofoam materials with GREENMAX recycling machine.

Polystyrene materials require thousands of years to degrade, degradation program of mycelium materials is simple, just throw them in the garden, they can naturally degrade within a few weeks.


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