Ecovative Design is the producer of EcoCradle packaging, which is made of agricultural byproducts such as seed husks and combined with mushroom roots as a binding agent. Photo: Lori Brown, Earth911.com
Dell will be the first technology company to ship its servers in compostable mushroom-based foam. Packaging creator Ecovative Design produces the foam by loading organic waste into a mold and inoculating it with mushroom spores. The material decomposes about a month after it’s buried.
Read: Ecovative Design Makes Magic Out of Mushrooms
In a blog post Tuesday, Dell procurement director Oliver Campbell announced the start of the pilot program, noting that it’s not the company’s first green packaging initiative: Dell already uses bamboo to cushion many of its smaller products. The mushroom foam however, which takes about 5-10 days to grow, is sturdier and better suited for heavier applications.
Read: Dell Sets Packaging Bar High For Electronics Industry
Ecovative also plans to work with Ford on developing mushroom foam car parts such as fillers for doors and dashboards.
