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<td style="color: #000000; text-decoration: none; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;" width="700">This is the fourth post of the eight-part <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/business-breakthrough">"The Business Breakthrough"</a> series, in which small business owners share the biggest regrets, best advice, and hardest lessons of their careers. "The Business Breakthrough" is sponsored by Capital One Spark. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/business-breakthrough">See more posts in the series »</a></td>
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</table><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image">YouTubeBayer speaking at a TED conference in 2010.</div></div>TED speaker and CEO of <keyword id="1801665" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Ecovative">Ecovative</keyword> Eben Bayer told Business Insider that his <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/08/ecovative-tiny-home-mushrooms_n_3561329.html">Mushroom Tiny House</a> is finally generating conversation in the world of construction and furniture, but it took a while for the Ecovative team to understand how to build momentum around their idea.
"I think early on...we were two people, getting overwhelmed when we were taking off. What we needed was bodies. We were very willing to get anyone and put them in any role," Bayer said.
"It took us a while to learn that, ‘hey, you’re really good in sales. why are you washing trays outside of the building?’ or ‘you’re a great engineer, why do we have you doing accounting?’ I think if I would have understood that earlier, we could have moved faster in the beginning."
<div class="image-container float_left" style="width:480px"><div class="image">Ecovative/YouTubeEcovative's first <keyword id="1801666" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mycelium">mycelium</keyword> tiny house.</div></div>
Having received considerable press after his 2010 TED talk, which focused on using organic instead of synthetic materials, the CEO realized that people were also paying attention to his vision for the future, a big vision that starts with the tiny house.
Bayer said the house is the first step in changing an entire industry. 
"What the tiny house for us represents is not this hippie-green living out in the woods type of thing, but a building system in a factory where you’re building full modules of rooms and shipping them to huge complexes," he said.
His company, as well as certain components of the tiny house construction, revolves around the use of mycelium — the vegetative part of fungus. Though unproven in large construction, the organic material sounds promising.
As described on the company web site:
Ecovative uses mycelium (mushroom “roots”) to bond together agricultural byproducts like corn stalks into a material that can replace plastic foam. Mushroom Insulation grows into wood forms over the course of a few days, forming an airtight seal. It dries over the next month (kind of like how concrete cures) and you are left with an airtight wall that is extremely strong.
<a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1957474,00.html">As described by Time</a>:
It's nontoxic, fireproof and mold- and water-resistant, and it traps more heat than fiberglass insulation. It's also stronger, pound for pound, than concrete. 
Mycelium construction is <a href="http://makeitright.org/research-and-development/mushroom-tiny-house/">supposedly cheap,</a> eliminating the need for studs and other construction materials, while providing excellent insulation.
Before any skyscraper builders sign on, however, Bayer has to convince the world that his vision of the future, founded in his work with mycelium, is safe and practical.
"It has all the sort of normal things as a house to keep it from getting too wet and things like that, and our material, when adequately protected from the environment, is quite resilient," Bayer said. "We tested those kinds of properties in the lab and found out it was pretty good. We want to confirm when you do a full size building, you’re still pretty good."
While Bayer would have liked to grow more quickly in the beginning, the six-year-old company has already solidified partnerships with impactful companies like <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2011/11/crate-barrel-using-ecovative.html">Dell and Crate &amp; Barrel</a>, selling biodegradable packaging.
And despite Ecovative's growth timeline, Bayer maintains the perspective that tackling substantive issues is a worthwhile cause. 
"Solve a real problem, something that’s real and important. If you’re doing that, there’s a greater chance of greater success. Secondly, be tenacious and resilient.”

TED SPEAKER AND CEO: Don't Fall Behind Early, Leverage Your Strengths From The Start

<ul class="summary-list"><li>MycoWorks makes alternative leather from mycelium, the network of fungus that can become a mushroom.</li><li>The company will open its first commercial plant in September to supply luxury brands like Hermès.</li><li>Fashion brands are investing in materials that don't use animals or plastic to meet climate goals.</li></ul>The humble mushroom could be the next must-have accessory.The San Francisco startup MycoWorks makes leather from mycelium — the weblike fungus that can become a mushroom — and it's set to open its first commercial-scale plant in September in South Carolina.The factory will produce millions of square feet of mycelium a year, MycoWorks said. Customers include the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32354516.11796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubXljb3dvcmtzLmNvbS9pbnRyb2R1Y2luZy1zeWx2YW5pYS1ieS1oZXJtZXM_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJmVtYWlsPWNib3VkcmVhdSU0MGluc2lkZXIuY29tJng9ODEyOGUyOWUzMDdkOGMyNjIyODcwYzQzZDJlODMxYTIyY2U1MDA5MjU1YTE1MGQ1NDcxNzAzNWU4Y2IwZDBhNg/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBe692db31">luxury brand Hermès</a>, the high-end home furnisher Ligne Roset, and General Motors, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32354516.11796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cucHJuZXdzd2lyZS5jb20vbmV3cy1yZWxlYXNlcy9teWNvd29ya3Mtc2VjdXJlcy1zdHJhdGVnaWMtaW52ZXN0bWVudC1mcm9tLWdtLXZlbnR1cmVzLXRvLWRldmVsb3AtZmluZS1teWNlbGl1bS1tYXRlcmlhbHMtZm9yLXN1c3RhaW5hYmxlLWF1dG9tb3RpdmUtaW50ZXJpb3JzLTMwMTY1MTQ4My5odG1sP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB497106eb">which is exploring the use of leather alternatives for its vehicles</a>. "The commitments we have from these partners enabled this factory to be built," Matt Scullin, the CEO of MycoWorks and a materials scientist, told Insider. He added that the factory will help the company penetrate the fashion and luxury industries "in a real way."Many fashion brands have set climate goals and are searching for sustainable substitutes to animal- or plastic-based leather and other textiles with high carbon footprints. The brands' push has spurred investment <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32354516.11796/aHR0cHM6Ly9tYXRlcmlhbGlubm92YXRpb24ub3JnL3JlcG9ydHMvMjAyMi1zdGF0ZS1vZi10aGUtaW5kdXN0cnktcmVwb3J0LW5leHQtZ2VuLW1hdGVyaWFscy8_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJmVtYWlsPWNib3VkcmVhdSU0MGluc2lkZXIuY29tJng9ODEyOGUyOWUzMDdkOGMyNjIyODcwYzQzZDJlODMxYTIyY2U1MDA5MjU1YTE1MGQ1NDcxNzAzNWU4Y2IwZDBhNg/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBc43fc055">in more than 100 startups</a> developing these alternatives, according to the Material Innovation Initiative, an industry think tank. <div type="image" title="An Hermès bag made of plant-based leather" height="1577" width="1184" msid="102623648" hostid="261" sizebytes="168394"></div>Startups focused on so-called next-generation materials raised some $457 million in 2022, though that was a drop from 2021 in part because of higher interest rates. MycoWorks' shift to a commercial-scale operation has been decades in the making, Scullin said. The company has raised $187 million in funding, a spokesperson told Insider.Yet even with MycoWorks' milestones, the new production will only account for a sliver of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32354516.11796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2NpZW5jZWRpcmVjdC5jb20vc2NpZW5jZS9hcnRpY2xlL2Ficy9waWkvUzAwNDU2NTM1MjAzMDk5Nzg_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJmVtYWlsPWNib3VkcmVhdSU0MGluc2lkZXIuY29tJng9ODEyOGUyOWUzMDdkOGMyNjIyODcwYzQzZDJlODMxYTIyY2U1MDA5MjU1YTE1MGQ1NDcxNzAzNWU4Y2IwZDBhNg/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB7ba27c09">estimated 23 billion square feet</a> of leather produced globally each year, much of which is used for footwear. The alternative-materials industry still faces headwinds. Bolt Threads halted production of its alternative leather, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32354516.11796/aHR0cHM6Ly9ib2x0dGhyZWFkcy5jb20vdGVjaG5vbG9neS9teWxvLz91dG1fbWVkaXVtPW5ld3NsZXR0ZXImZW1haWw9Y2JvdWRyZWF1JTQwaW5zaWRlci5jb20meD04MTI4ZTI5ZTMwN2Q4YzI2MjI4NzBjNDNkMmU4MzFhMjJjZTUwMDkyNTVhMTUwZDU0NzE3MDM1ZThjYjBkMGE2/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB2f5c0f7d">made from mycelium and minimal plastics</a>, this year even after landing high-profile partnerships with Stella McCartney and Adidas and raising more than $300 million since 2009. CEO Dan Widmaier <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32354516.11796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudm9ndWVidXNpbmVzcy5jb20vc3VzdGFpbmFiaWxpdHkvc3RlbGxhLW1jY2FydG5leS1iYWNrZWQtbGVhdGhlci1hbHRlcm5hdGl2ZS1teWxvLWhhbHRzLXByb2R1Y3Rpb24tYm9sdC10aHJlYWRzLWtlcmluZy1nYW5uaS1hZGlkYXMtbHVsdWxlbW9uP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eB7602f2f3">told Vogue Business</a> that funding had dried up but the company is open to selling the technology to make sure its material gets to market. Yet such challenges haven't deterred all investors. A startup called Ecovative that's making mycelium-based bacon, textiles, and packaging recently said it <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsletter.businessinsider.com/click/32354516.11796/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYnVzaW5lc3N3aXJlLmNvbS9uZXdzL2hvbWUvMjAyMzA2MDYwMDU0MTcvZW4vRWNvdmF0aXZlLVJhaXNlcy1PdmVyLTMwLU1pbGxpb24tRnVuZGluZy1HbG9iYWwtRGlzdHJpYnV0aW9uLW9mLVBsYW5ldC1GcmllbmRseS1GYXNoaW9uLWFuZC1Gb29kP3V0bV9tZWRpdW09bmV3c2xldHRlciZlbWFpbD1jYm91ZHJlYXUlNDBpbnNpZGVyLmNvbSZ4PTgxMjhlMjllMzA3ZDhjMjYyMjg3MGM0M2QyZTgzMWEyMmNlNTAwOTI1NWExNTBkNTQ3MTcwMzVlOGNiMGQwYTY/628bdf90094963f5ad0eef3eBadf23c68">attracted more than $30 million</a> in a funding round. Anne Higonnet, an art-history professor at New York's Barnard College who teaches a popular course on clothing and the rise of sustainability, told Insider that most technological advances in fashion have required loads of capital and experimentation. She sees a luxury fashion house like Hermès as an ideal pioneer for alternative leather because the brand's status is based in part on scarcity. "Hermès makes the single most desirable handbag on the planet — the Birkin — with legendary wait times," Higonnet said. "The hope is that with their approval and financing, experimental companies can slowly scale up and produce viable leather substitutes that eventually wean us off of both leather and plastic simultaneously."Scullin sees a future where MycoWorks' material, called Reishi, is available beyond the luxury market. He said Reishi is different from its competitors for two reasons: its quality and production process that grows sheets of mycelium in small trays. "People fall in love with Reishi for the way it feels and the way it looks," Scullin said. "Sustainability is part of our story, but it is not the story. That's been a strategic difference between our approach and that of our competitors. Consumers don't want to sacrifice quality for sustainability, and brands know that."

Handbags and hats made of mushroom leather could become the next luxury items for brands like Hermès

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ecovative Design is making eco-friendly products like plant-based meat and imitation leather out of mycelium, the root structures of mushrooms.</li><li>It also makes packaging material that could replace <keyword id="864819" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Styrofoam">Styrofoam</keyword>, which takes up one-third of all landfill space.</li><li>The company has raised $100 million in capital and is part of a $4 billion meat-alternative market.</li></ul>

A biotech company is making vegan bacon, leather, and a Styrofoam-like packaging out of lab-grown mushrooms

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A biotech firm in New York is designing a plant-based packing material that could replace Styrofoam.</li><li>The material is made from mycelium, which is basically the root structure of mushrooms.</li><li>On top of packing material, mycelium is also being used to make protein-rich meat substitutes and vegan leather.</li><li>The developments could signal a breakthrough in the plant-based food industry.</li><li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderToday/">View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook.</a></li></ul>Following is a transcript of an episode of Business Insider Today. Watch the full episode <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderToday/videos/614622092421737/">here</a>.That pillowy white thing you're looking at isn't a giant marshmallow. It's more like a giant fungus. It's the design of a biotech company that uses mushrooms to make eco-friendly packing materials, leather, and even bacon.Mycelium, as it's called, is basically the root structure of mushrooms.Mycelium is unique because it's easy to both grow and shape into different forms.At <a href="https://ecovativedesign.com/">Ecovative Design</a> in Green Island, New York, engineers, biologists, and designers are harvesting its potential to reduce plastic consumption and feed the planet.Scott Elliott for Business Insider TodayThe biotech firm Ecovative Design is designing a packing material made from mycelium, made from the root structure of mushrooms.Their first product, a packaging material made from mycelium and agricultural waste, is a lot like Styrofoam, and can be used to package anything from a computer to a candle.The difference is that Mushroom Packaging only takes 30 days to compost. Styrofoam <a href="https://www.sej.org/publications/backgrounders/styrofoam-facts-why-you-may-want-bring-your-own-cup">fills up an estimated 30% of our landfills</a> and takes at least 500 years to biodegrade.Their second product, MycoFlex, is a foamy structure of pure mycelium. It can replace polyurethane products like makeup sponges or be pounded down to create a leatherlike textile.The third product, Atlast, is a meatless alternative to chicken, steak, bacon, scallops, clams - you name it.Growing all three of these products is <a href="https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/the-ripple-effect-of-meatless-monday-can-it-extend-to-china">surprisingly eco-friendly</a>. For example, it takes over 575 gallons of water to produce one pound of pork, but only 1.25 gallons of water to grow 1 pound of mycelium bacon.Eben Bayer, Cofounder and CEO of Ecovative: "In addition to using less water, the process occurs much faster. So it takes a couple of years to raise a cow or a pig. I used to raise pigs in Vermont. We grow our mycelium meat in just 10 days."Scott Elliott for Business Insider TodayThe process for growing plant-based leather and meat starts in growth chambers like this one that mimic soil conditions.Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre founded Ecovative Design in 2007. Their idea to develop mycelium into an alternative to Styrofoam was inspired by Eben's childhood on a farm in Vermont, where one of his chores was to shovel wood chips into a furnace to boil maple syrup.Bayer: "In the spring, fungi would grow, and they'd turn the wood chips into these big clumps, which were a big pain in my butt because they blocked the tractor bucket. And so I'd known that mycelium could be really tenacious and strong."The process for creating Mushroom Packaging isn't too far off from those fungi in the woodpile. Agricultural waste products like wood chips, corn husks, or hemp are mixed with mycelium in a mold, watered, and incubated for nine days.The process for growing mushroom leather or alternative meat products is a bit different because here, the mycelium grows up and out of the agricultural waste.The mixture is placed in what Ecovative calls vertical farms - growth chambers that mimic the conditions of the soil, tricking the mycelium.Andy Bass, director of marketing at Ecovative: "What it's really trying to do is grow up and punch out through the earth to form a mushroom, but we keep the environment such that it just grows and grows into this large marshmallow-like structure. This is pure mushroom tissue at this point."The folks at Ecovative call it "aerial mycelium." After harvesting, this tissue will be taken to the kitchen, cut into slices, compressed, and seasoned.Bass: "It fries up and gets crispy, just like bacon, and tastes pretty amazing too."Scott Elliott for Business Insider TodayMycelium is also used to make Atlast a meatless alternative to bacon, chicken, steak, and other meats.Consumers are hungry for products like mushroom bacon. Last year, US retail <a href="https://www.gfi.org/spins-data-release-2019">sales of plant-based meat were up nearly 10%</a>, while conventional meat sales grew by only 2%. Ecovative calls mycelium a "super ingredient." It's high in fiber and has the same protein content as a slice of bacon.And it can be grown at the competitive price of $1 per pound.Ecovative says that mycelium's greatest potential lies in its texture. It can mimic whole cuts of meat, as opposed to most other plant-based meats that come in the form of minced patties or sausages.Companies have taken note. Ecovative has partnered with food developer Mattson to bring whole-cut plant-based meat to consumers.Bayer: "I firmly believe that the best technology on planet Earth is nature, and that if we harness natural technology, we can live better lives with better food and better materials at no cost to the planet. And I think we're now starting to do that, but we're just scratching the surface." <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-magic-mushrooms-brain-state-of-mind-2017-1">What magic mushrooms do to your brain and state of mind</a></h3>

This fungus-based material is being used to imitate Styrofoam, leather, and even bacon

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Ecovative</div></div></div><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ecovative-turns-mushrooms-into-packaging-ikea-dell-2016-8">Ecovative</a>, a startup that made a name for itself with its sustainable packing and building materials made from mushrooms, is planning a pivot into <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taste-test-first-cell-based-clean-sausage-meat-made-without-farm-2018-9">lab-grown meat</a>.</li><li>The company wants its mushroom scaffolding to be a central material for startups aiming to create <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lab-grown-meat-startups-burgers-chicken-fish-plants-cells-2018-7">real meat from labs</a> without the need for slaughter.</li><li>The material could have uses for plant-based "meat" companies like the Bill Gates-backed bleeding veggie burger startup <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impossible-foods-bleeding-veggie-burger-ingredient-gets-fda-green-light-2018-7">Impossible Foods</a>, too.</li></ul>A startup that makes environmentally-friendly packaging for IKEA is planning a big transition into lab-grown meat.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ecovative-turns-mushrooms-into-packaging-ikea-dell-2016-8">Ecovative</a> - which made a name for itself by inking deals with brands like IKEA and Dell to swap styrofoam containers for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ecovative-turns-mushrooms-into-packaging-ikea-dell-2016-8">packaging grown from fungi</a> - now wants to use its mushroom-growing capabilities to become the backbone of the effort to make <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taste-test-first-cell-based-clean-sausage-meat-made-without-farm-2018-9">meat without slaughter</a>.It might sound like an odd pivot. But a critical obstacle for the "cell-based" (or "clean") meat <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lab-grown-meat-startups-burgers-chicken-fish-plants-cells-2018-7">industry</a> is taking the raw materials for meat - lab-grown cells from the fat and muscle tissues of chickens, pigs, and cows - and crafting them into materials that mimic the complex structure and texture of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sabra-company-funded-lab-grown-steak-clean-meat-2018-5">marbled steak</a> or sinewy chicken breast.Several startups in the space claim to have succeeded in making prototype products that take the form of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/taste-test-first-cell-based-clean-sausage-meat-made-without-farm-2018-9">sausages</a>, burgers, and meatballs. But these products involve essentially smashing together a mix of muscle and fat tissues - not creating actual pieces of flesh that mirror the real thing. What could be missing is a good scaffold, a delicate structure on which the cells can thrive.Ecovative wants its mushroom technology to be that scaffold. The company's existing structures - boxes, walls, light fixtures and even a leather-like fabric called <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/boltprojects/the-mylo-driver-bag">Mylo</a> - are made from mushroom roots (or mycelium) <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ecovative-turns-mushrooms-into-packaging-ikea-dell-2016-8#so-how-does-it-work-first-the-company-takes-raw-byproducts-that-it-has-purchased-from-local-farms--things-like-old-corn-stalks--and-brings-that-to-the-ecovative-factory-in-upstate-new-york-where-its-sorted-and-cleaned-6">mixed with discarded farm materials like corn stalks</a>. Ecovative has recently been experimenting with growing animal cells on materials made from similar ingredients."The key thing mycelium does is go from a single-celled organism to a 3D structure in space," Eben Bayer, Ecovative's co-founder and CEO, told Business Insider. "We've been growing animal cells on it and they've been growing really well."If it works, the partnership could help usher in the first slaughter-free products with the texture and structure of steaks and fillets.The mushroom's unique structure is hard to find elsewhere in the vegetarian-friendly organism kingdom. Plants can only do so much. But fungi knows no such boundaries.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Shutterstock/hlphoto</div></div></div>"If you look at plant scaffolding, you're limited to the geometry of something like a spinach leaf," Bayer said. "With mycelium, we can make a sheet that's many feet long and however thick. We can control the density. It's this massive scaffold you can grow relatively inexpensively."Ecovative's mushroom-powered structure could have uses beyond the cell-based meat space as well. In the plant-based food arena, for example, mycelium could be used as the foundation for new, even meatier versions of already popular vegetarian items like the Bill Gates-backed "bleeding" <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/impossible-foods-bleeding-veggie-burger-ingredient-gets-fda-green-light-2018-7">Impossible Burger</a> or the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lab-grown-meat-startups-burgers-chicken-fish-plants-cells-2018-7#you-can-buy-the-other-veggie-burger-that-bleeds-in-grocery-stores-made-by-los-angeles-based-beyond-meat-the-burgers-are-made-from-pea-protein-and-coconut-oil-2">Beyond Burger</a>.Those companies could essentially "use our scaffolding and infuse it with their ingredients and flavorings," Bayer said.Several other startups aiming to replace animal products with vegetarian options have turned to fungi for its preferential texture and naturally neutral flavor.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vegan-pet-food-startup-peter-thiel-mouse-meat-now-selling-treats-2018-9">Wild Earth</a>, a startup making vegan dog treats, uses koji - the fungi that gives soy sauce and miso soup their umami kick - in its products. Similarly, startup <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/salmon-burgers-without-fish-made-by-thiel-fellow-2018-6">Terramino Foods</a> is exploring using koji as the central ingredient for its "salmon" burgers.For now, Ecovative isn't sure which path in the sustainable food arena - whether it's cell-based meat or plant-based meat alternatives - the company will end up pursuing the most heavily. The company's overarching goal is to make its <a href="https://ecovativedesign.com/">mycelium design platform</a> available to everyone.Regardless, Bayer said he sees a place for his company at the food-of-the-future table."This is the next natural step in this evolution to use natural products to make things," Bayer said. "As the biology advances and the tech advances alongside it, you're going to see more people building on this platform." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-japan-land-hopping-robots-on-asteroid-ryugu-2018-9">Why Japan is landing hopping robots on an asteroid</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

A startup that turns mushrooms into IKEA packaging wants to become the backbone of the lab-grown meat industry

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image">Ecovative</div></div></div>Polystyrene foam - known more commonly as Styrofoam - is terrible for the environment.Not only does it take centuries to break down in soil, some of it never gets there in the first place, instead <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boyan-slats-ocean-cleanup-to-clear-the-pacific-garbage-patch-2015-11">ending up in lakes, streams, and the ocean,</a> where it fills the stomachs of fish and birds.So two friends, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre, came up with an alternative. Their new company, <a href="http://www.ecovativedesign.com/">Ecovative</a>, makes building insulation and packaging materials that break down completely in the environment.Their secret ingredients? Mushroom roots and farm waste.It might sound out-there, but the startup is catching the attention of several big companies, including computer giant <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29543834">Dell, who is already using its products</a>, and Swedish furniture maker Ikea, who <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/ikea-could-phase-out-styrofoam-packaging-2016-3">is considering doing the same</a>.Here's a look inside the place where all of it gets made:

A startup founded by 2 college friends is turning mushrooms into walls to help rid the world of an insidious ingredient

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MethodA rendering of the completed greenhouse.</div></div></div>In April, the eco-friendly soap manufacturer Method <a href="http://methodhome.com/beyond-the-bottle/soap-factory/">opened up its newest factory</a> on Chicago's South Side. This is no ordinary factory - the $30 million space is equipped with three solar "trees" that move with the sun and a 230-foot-tall wind turbine. Combined, the on-site renewable energy sources generate a third of all energy for the building.But the most innovative element of the factory is on the roof, where a a 75,000 square foot greenhouse is set to be fully planted this fall. When complete, the space will be the largest rooftop greenhouse in the world, growing up to one million pounds of greens each year.For some perspective on the size of the greenhouse: the average size of a city block in many parts of the U.S. - including Portland, Oregon and Houston, Texas- is 67,600 square feet. An NFL football field is 57,600 square feet. The Method greenhouse is larger than all of these things. <div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MethodInside Method's factory.</div></div></div>When designing the factory, Method looked to Ecover, its green cleaning partner brand, for inspiration. In 1992, Ecover built the first of what it calls "<a href="http://www.ecover-professional.com/en/why-ecover-professional/sustainable-processes/first-ecological-factory-in-the-world/">ecological factories</a>," outfitted with sustainable building materials and a green roof."We wanted to meet the highest standards of green building," says Saskia Van Gendt, Method's Chief Greenskeeper.The rooftop greenhouse, which was built by a company called <a href="http://gothamgreens.com/">Gotham Greens</a>, is much more efficient than a conventional agriculture operation, using 20 times less land and 10 times less water.Instead of going in the ground, the plants are grown with a hydroponic system that requires water but no soil. Computer systems control irrigation, heating, cooling, and other variables.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">MethodA rendering of the factory with the completed greenhouse.</div></div></div>The greenhouse, combined with its accompanying growing system, weighs a lot - so much so that Method had to re-engineer the factory roof for structural integrity. It also insulates the factory below, helping to keep energy costs down.Once it's up and running, the greenhouse will produce a number of different kinds of pesticide-free greens, including kale, arugula, bok choy, and butterhead lettuce. Gotham Greens will distribute the produce to local stores, restaurants, and farmer's markets."We need to use our urban spaces more efficiently," says Van Gendt. "Rooftop greenhouses are a representation of a model of doing that." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/slacking-red-bull-backflip-sport-baylines-2015-6">People doing backflips on a two-inch wide strap is a real sport called slacklining</a></h3> <div> <div> <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="J1cDZvdToyxik-Ww0y-RX8k6QQqJs9ZD" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div> </div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "Ecovative" and got 7 results

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Handbags and hats made of mushroom leather could become the next luxury items for brands like Hermès

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This fungus-based material is being used to imitate Styrofoam, leather, and even bacon

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A startup that turns mushrooms into IKEA packaging wants to become the backbone of the lab-grown meat industry

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A startup founded by 2 college friends is turning mushrooms into walls to help rid the world of an insidious ingredient

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Chicago is about to get the world's largest rooftop greenhouse, and it's the size of an entire city block

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