Surrey-based Magical Mushroom Company wants to produce bodyboards from mushrooms and hemp scraps. These innovative boards should reduce the impact of entry-level products used in large numbers on beaches.
The British company is working on a new way of making bodyboarding boards, using mushroom mycelium. Founded in 2019, the company uses this natural material to make biodegradable packaging. It now wants to transpose its technology to the manufacture of bodyboards for the general public, based on the observation that many boards bought during the summer have only a short use, while their manufacture using petroleum-derived foams has a high impact on the environment.
Studies were conducted with Tim Lupton, co-founder of Predn Surf Co, a British board sports specialist. The material, made from agricultural co-products, mainly hemp, is bonded using mushroom mycelium, whose chitin is a natural polymer acting as a glue, naturally resistant to water and fire. According to its designers, the board can be biodegraded in 50 days and composted at sea in 180 days.
Source: boatsnews.com