Dell has announced that it’s going to begin testing a new type of packaging, making it the first company in the world to use mushroom-based packages.
The mushroom-material will be used inside the boxes that Dell products are shipped in, providing cushioning to protect the electronics inside. Dell has said that it’s already been tested significantly internally, and now the company is going to start using it commercially.
“The process works like this,” explained Dell’s Oliver Campbell, “Waste product like cotton hulls are placed in a mold which is then inoculated with mushroom spawn. Our cushions take five to 10 days to grow as the spawn, which become the root structure — or by the scientific name, mycelium — of the mushroom.
“All the energy needed to form the cushion is supplied by the carbohydrates and sugars in the ag waste. There’s no need for energy based on carbon or nuclear fuels.”
Through initiatives like this Dell is hoping to eliminate 20 million pounds of packaging waste by 2012. This includes increasing the amount of sustainable materials used by 40 percent and making 75 percent of all packing materials recyclable.
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