Estonia’s love affair with mushrooms has moved from the forest floor to the factory floor. This week, Tallinn-based Myceen has secured over €2M in grants to expand its production of carbon-negative building materials made from mycelium, reports EU-Startups.
Myceen sees mushrooms as the building blocks of the future – quite literally. The CleanTech company specializes in creating construction materials by combining mycelium, the underground root system of mushrooms, with organic waste from forestry and agriculture. It’s similar to using nature’s superglue, where mycelium binds loose elements together, creating solid materials that are not only sturdy but posses a much better carbon footprint. Some products are also available for direct purchase, such as mushroom-made lamps and acoustic panels.
The €2M funding comes from a variety of sources, including Enterprise Estonia, the Estonian Research Council, the German Ministry of Culture, and EIT Climate KIC. The company is also advancing a seed investment round of €1-1.5 million. Investors could reach out to the team here.
Initially focusing on the design sector, Myceen has already grown in the construction space and has already shipped products to over 15 countries, including the United States and Singapore. The company also enters various custom collaborations, including museum, exhibition spaces and design fairs.
Petko Tashev, Co-Founder and Managing Director of The Home of Sustainable Things in London noted: “While Mycelium isn’t a novel material to us, Myceen’s design range is something to behold. Over the years, we have seen many designers attempting to tame this incredible, regenerative material and failing to do so. However, Myceen’s consistency, quality, and style not only set this range apart but have also elevated mycelium design to levels previously unimagined.”
With the EU aiming to renovate 35 million homes by 2030 for improved energy efficiency, Myceen’s timing is also on point. The construction industry, responsible for about 40% of the EU’s total carbon dioxide emissions, could use some mushrooms to clean up. Myceen plans to use new funds to establish a pilot factory, developing industrial production methods for its construction materials. They’re also partnering with the Timber Architecture Research Centre to test their mycelium insulation in a prototype house this autumn.
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