The new mushroom

One cubed foot of Styrofoam represents the consumption of 1.5 liters of petrol.  Styrofoam is said to take up 25 percent of the space in landfills. An alternative is to use naturally-produced EcoCradle. It's created from useless agricultural by-products and mushroom roots, has all the same properties as other expandable polystyrene (EPS), and is fully compostable.

a mushroom foam packaging

To make its packaging and insulation, Ecovative creates plastic molds, fills them with agricultural waste and adds mycelia, mushroom roots, which grown around and digest the waste. Once the material has grown into the shape, it's heat treated to stop the growth, and the packaging is done using 98% less energy than plastic.