Mushroom Mycelium-Based Biodegradable Packaging Material: A Promising Sustainable Solution for Food Industry

Abstract

It is undeniable that many environments and areas are still full of waste. What’s more, it’s increasing annually. With a growing era, the use of plastic has also increased, especially in online sales that involve plastic as a package protector. With 40% of plastic production going to the packaging sector, an environmentally friendly replacement would be helpful. Furthermore, plastic materials such as styrofoam are considered harmful to both environment and human health. Mycelium is one of the materials that are affordable and easy to obtain. It is a fungus part that can bind and form a strong material with the support of sawdust. With characteristics similar with polystyrene, society, especially MSMEs, is expected to use this material as a substitute.