Sustainable Packaging
We’ve created an eco-friendly alternative to polystyrene using mycelium and agricultural waste.
Transforming agricultural waste into eco-friendly packaging, we’ve harnessed the power of mycelium—the root structure of mushrooms—to create a sustainable alternative to polystyrene (Styrofoam)
Completely sustainable
Made from mycelium and agricultural waste, our product reduces landfill waste and pollution, is fully biodegradable, ensuring a minimal environmental footprint, and provides the same durability as polystyrene without the harmful effects.
100% biodegradable
Mushroom Material is fully home compostable, eliminating the end-of-life hassle. When you're done, simply add it to your garden, home compost, or even landfill, where it will naturally break down within months.
Same protective properties
Our mushroom-based material offers the same protective properties as traditional polystyrene, ensuring your items remain safe and secure during transit. With excellent shock absorption and durability, you can trust our eco-friendly alternative to deliver top-notch performance while reducing environmental impact.
How we're doing it
Design
We work with our clients to create sustainable packaging designs that easily replace and fit into existing processes.
Manufacture
Once the packaging is designed, we manufacture the finished product. We work with our clients to scale up order quantities and ship globally.
Supply
For clients with in-house design teams, we supply the raw material directly to their existing packaging manufacturers. The transition to our eco-friendly material is minimal.
Why we are doing it
Mushroom Material offers an affordable, scalable, and fully home-compostable alternative to expanded polystyrene. Our mycelium-based pellets are designed to be molded using the same equipment as traditional polystyrene, enabling a seamless transition. By integrating our technology into existing supply chains, we enable businesses to shift away from harmful plastics with ease and sustainability.
USA
Legislation banning polystyrene in major jurisdictions and target 100% reusable/ recyclable/ compostable packaging by 2025
EUROPE
Plastic packaging taxes to
prevent waste and minimizing
environmental impact (€6-8b)
UNITED KINGDOM
£200/tonne plastic packaging tax on any material with less than 30% recycled content and target 100% reusable/ recyclable/ compostable packaging by 2025
INDIA, CHINA, INDONESIA
Regulations underway
AUSTRALIA/ NEW ZEALAND
Plastic packaging taxes to
prevent waste and minimizing
environmental impact (€6-8b)
SINGAPORE
Phase single-use plastics and target 100% reusable/recyclable/ compostable packaging by 2025
BRAZIL
Regulations underway
Our team
Shaun Seaman
As the Founder and CEO, Shaun is on a mission to eliminate non-recyclable plastics by creating sustainable, home-compostable alternatives.
With a background in product management and development, Shaun has helped early-stage startups bring products to market, from concept to launch. Shaun’s expertise spans product roadmaps, manufacturing, and market strategies, all driven by a passion for innovation and sustainability.
Jotinder Singh
With seven years of experience in quality control, testing, and scaling, Jotinder specializes in automating mass manufacturing plants.
As the former Head of Quality Control for New Zealand’s fastest-growing tech startup, he brings proven leadership and a commitment to innovation and excellence to our team.
Paul Guinibert
With 15 years of experience in hardware design, prototyping, production, and automation, Paul excels in early-stage, fast-growing hardware startups.
As the former Lead Engineer for New Zealand’s fastest-growing tech startup, he brings invaluable expertise and a strong commitment to innovation and excellence to our team.
Paul Davies
With a background as the Head of Strategy for the world’s leading IP advisory firm, Paul specializes in Intellectual Property strategy for startups.
Formerly a patent attorney for Deacons Hong Kong, Baldwins, and AJ Park, he is recognized as one of the IAM Top 300 IP Strategists. As a registered Patent Attorney, Paul brings exceptional expertise and strategic insight to our team.
Tim Edwards
As the Managing Director of JB HiFi NZ, Tim brings a wealth of experience in leadership and sales. Formerly the Chief Sales Officer for The Warehouse Group and the CEO of Noel Leeming and Torpedo7, he specializes in building early-stage teams capable of high growth.
Tim excels at turning around underperforming companies, demonstrating his strong commitment to driving success and achieving remarkable results.
James Smejlis
With 13 years of experience managing engineering teams to mass-produce consumer products, James excels in understanding customer requirements and defining product specifications.
Formerly the Engineering Lead for Fisher & Paykel Appliances, New Zealand’s largest whiteware manufacturer, he brings extensive expertise and a strong commitment to quality and innovation to our team.
Gareth Poley
Gareth specialises in driving impactful marketing and product strategies. Fluent in both tech and exec speak, he bridges C-suite strategies with on-the-ground execution to deliver exceptional results.
With extensive experience managing global brands, Gareth has earned multiple awards, including the coveted TVNZ Transformational Marketing Award. A problem-solver and tech enthusiast, he excels in creating innovative solutions and measurable impact.
Deane Thomas
Deane holds a research-based Master's degree in Product Design, where her thesis explored the application of additive manufacturing for developing mycelium-based materials. She assessed the biocompatibility of various fungi species with low-grade agricultural by-products in the process, and is excited to contribute to our vision of valorising agricultural waste. As an assistant researcher at the University of Canterbury, she collaborated on biosecurity projects and continued her research into mycelium materials.
Investment / Partnership
If you are interested in partnering with us or exploring investment opportunities, we would love to hear from you. Please reach out to us using the contact information provided below.
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