Summary
Our collaboration with Ecovative proved challenging yet rewarding. Since few iGEM teams have partnered with a corporation in the past, we were faced with the task of developing a new approach to safely applying our research in synthetic biology to a consumer-ready product. Ecovative supported our efforts by giving us tours of their facilities and advice on protoplasting fungi. They also offered to grow our strains and conduct material testing on our genetically engineered product. Ecovative will soon implement our research once it reaches completion.
Ecovative
Our research is inspired by Ecovative Design, a small company in upstate New York that manufactures a biodegradable Styrofoam substitute. The company uses fungal mycelium to knit together various agricultural byproducts, such as dead wheat, dry grass, and corn husks. The final product is an insulating, waterproof, foam-like solid that decomposes one month after it's been buried in soil.
Ecovative's mission is to eventually replace all Styrofoam products with their eco-friendly material. To date they have partnered with Dell Inc., Steelcase Inc., Ford Motors, Puma, and a few other companies to build alternatives to their current Styrofoam products. The company has received grants from the EPA, the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, and the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute. Ecovative was also honored with the DEC's 2012 Environmental Excellence Award and the DuPont Packaging Innovation Award. Their product won the PICNIC Green Challenge, which is the world's largest prize for solutions addressing climate change.
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