Materials

Ecovative Opens Access to Patent for Plastic-Free Mycelium-Based Materials

Ecovative, a US developer of sustainable mycelium-based technologies, has announced that it is opening access to a European patent for its plastic-free MycoComposite™ materials.

All individuals and businesses in Europe can now use the materials in their innovations, providing a sustainable alternative to plastics and environmentally damaging chemicals. The patent outlines a blueprint for the creation of mycelium composites, which have the potential to cut carbon emissions across multiple industries.

According to Ecovative, the patent is already in use worldwide in industries such as packaging, construction materials, architecture, and more. Interest in entrepreneurial applications of MycoComposite is reportedly increasing sharply in Europe, and Ecovative hopes to test the potential of open-access patents to spur innovation in mycelium technologies.

Ecovative mycelium-based plastic-free materials
© Ecovative

“Picks and shovels”

The news comes a few months after Ecovative raised $30 million in Series E funding, with the aim of expanding its Forager business into a premier provider of sustainable textile and foam products worldwide.

Ecovative claims its diverse technologies can outperform plastic, leather, and even meat; the company’s spinoff, MyForest Foods, produces mycelium-based bacon alternatives and raised $15 million earlier this year to accelerate retail and food service growth across the Eastern US.

“The goal of Ecovative has always been to provide the ‘picks and shovels’ for a new generation of businesses realizing the potential of mycelium technology,” said Ecovative co-founder and CEO Eben Bayer. “The growing demand for environmentally beneficial products and processes is creating immense new opportunities not to reinvent the wheel, but to change what the wheel is made of, and we’re excited to see the new discoveries and scalable solutions made with this versatile technology, for the benefit of Spaceship Earth.”

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