Ecovative Design is an American company located in New York. Their mission? They grow materials. Meaning they don’t “produce” them. Their most produced material? Mycelium.
Mycelium is the branching, thread-like material that grows from fungi.
This material can be grown and shaped into pretty much anything. The best part? It is 100% biodegradable. Surfboards are typically made from expanded polystyrene or polyurethane. Both of these materials are derived from petrochemicals – which is a chemical that is obtained from petroleum and natural gas.
If a surf board breaks in any way – it breaks in half, the leash snaps off exposing the inside material, etc. – it is pretty much rendered useless and gets thrown away. The material that it is made out of will not biodegrade.
With 100’s of 1,000’s of discarded surfboards already in our land fills, Ecovative Design came up with a more sustainable solution: Mushroom Surfboards
So who makes these? While Ecovative Design is the creator of the material, California Surf Organics has been the pilot for the production of the end consumer surfboard models. With Ecovative Design’s GIY (Grow It Yourself) kits, this surf company was able to take the project the rest of the way and the result is pretty awesome!
Watch the video below to learn more.