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Dell has very big plans for cutting down on packaging waste, aiming to cut packaging by 20 million pounds and to make 75 percent of its packaging recyclable, while upping the use recycled or renewable materials by 40 percent. As part of that initiative, Dell has announced that it will be the first technology company to use mushroom cushioning instead of foam when shipping their products.
Ecovative Design's mushroom-based packaging is created by mixing waste cotton seed or wood fiber with mushroom roots, which digest the waste and then form a shape in a mold. The sugars in the waste basically fuel the formation of the cushioning and it all happens in about five to ten days.
Dell has tested the mushroom packaging in a lab to make sure that its products would be protected during shipping the same as they would with traditional foam packaging and the mushroom cushioning easily passed the test. The company will start using the packaging with its PowerEdge R710 server four-packs.
Dell has already been using bamboo cushioning for lighter items like laptops, tablets and smart phones, but the company sees mushroom packaging being the cushioning of choice for larger items like servers and desktop computers.
Once the product arrives at customers' doors, the mushroom packaging is compostable, while the bamboo packaging can be recycled or composted.
via Greenbiz
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written by Whitney Brothers, April 08, 2011
All I'm saying is the company could use some great news. Hopefully, this will catch on and other companies follow suit. Styro is bad in packaging. Oh, and it's a pain to take out of the box if you have sensitive ears.
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written by RwFlynn, April 08, 2011
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Truly Green Idea!! Thumbs Up!!
written by Junipur, April 09, 2011
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written by Carrie, April 11, 2011
Another 2 thumbs up. My next computer will be packed in mushrooms. Hopefully they will also sell them as packing peanuts.
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written by Markus Thormann, April 11, 2011
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written by Environment911, April 11, 2011
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written by Norm 774, April 12, 2011
Oh well I tried. Seriously, I believe it's a great idea. Biein compostable will relieve stress on landfills and other waste disposal facilities. About time some one used his or her brain for good.
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written by John Cossham, April 12, 2011
Now, of course, fungi are not plants, and the main bit of the organism is the thread-like hyphae, or mycelium, growing through the substrate. Then, at certain times of year or at some pre-determined time in the life cycle, the hyphae come together and grow into a fruiting body, which is equivalent to the flower on a plant. This is the mushroom or conk or toadstool or mould that we see, and it's sole purpose is to shed spores (like seeds) to allow new fungus organisms to grow where the spore lands.
This packaging material is a firm, dry and spongy matrix of a plant-based substrate held together with the mycelium. Fruiting bodies are not allowed to grow; the process is stopped when the item has the mycelium fully grown through it and it's ready to use as packaging. I like this technology. I wonder if it'll catch on? I hope so. I't certainly better than the oil-based use-only-once styrofoam plastic moulded packaging we're all familiar with, which mostly ends up in landfill...
John 'Compost' Cossham, York, UK
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written by Lee, April 13, 2011
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written by Stephen Miller, February 01, 2012
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written by العاب فلاش, August 04, 2012
All I'm saying is the company could use some great news. Hopefully, this will catch on and other companies follow suit. Styro is bad in packaging. Oh, and it's a pain to take out of the box if you have sensitive ears.
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About time Dell turns a little green, I have been a fan of their products since I learned how to use computers. But, gotta say, It hurts to receive an item that you really want but with a lot of styrofoams surrounding it.
Nice blog.