Home-grown polystyrene — Green Island, USA
The world is drowning in discarded polystyrene, a notoriously polluting substance that can last an estimated million years in landfills and oceans. By accident, two students of a polytechnic university discovered that they could grow a strong but light substance from agricultural waste and mushroom mycelium, and realised its potential to replace polystyrene. Through years of product development and testing, their company Ecovative now grows 100% natural packaging material that is extremely light and completely compostable. With seemingly endless application possibilities, this invention will touch all our lives, and the sooner the better.