Materials from Mushrooms with Stephanie Lipp, MycoFutures

In this episode of The Climate Cycle we sit down with Stephanie Lipp, co-founder and CEO of MycoFutures.

MycoFutures is creating a new material for the fashion industry (and beyond) using mycelium, the root system of fungi. Their material is a leather alternative that is animal-free, plastic-free and non-toxic.

Animal-based leathers contribute to a range of climate issues, from propping up the beef industry (which is a major contributor to methane emissions and deforestation) to water pollution and human health impacts from the tanning process. Even vegan leathers are often made from polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane, both of which come from fossil fuels.

MycoFutures combines mushroom cultivation, vertical farming technology, and novel tanning methods to create innovative materials that have the look and feel of leather but without the environmental impact.

In our conversation, we cover:

• [1:50] Starting a mushroom farm in rural Newfoundland
• [6:15] Problems with animal-based leathers
• [9:56] Why there's no problem too small in climate
• [14:19] How they grow mycelium into a durable material
• [18:29] The potential in strain selection
• [20:30] Keys to scaling up
• [23:45] What's resonating with early customers
• [27:01] Proving the viability of a circular bioeconomy
• [29:42] Obstacles for early-stage startups that don't match the pattern
• [35:04] De-risking science-focused ventures

Episode links

• MycoFutures
• Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs
• Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake
• Mycophilia by Eugenia Bone
• Radical Mycology by Peter McCoy
• Fantastic Funghi

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