To further minimize its impact on the environment, French brand Amen is now shipping its candles in carbon-negative packing made from mycelium and agricultural waste.
Amen is already known as a sustainable luxury brand. They use natural wax from vegetable oil to make candles rather than an animal byproduct like beeswax or petroleum-derived paraffin wax. But what’s really interesting is the packaging they’re now using to ship candles.
Together with biotechnology startup Grown, Amen is growing cylindrical boxes from mycelium (the vegetative part of mushrooms) to hold each individual candle. The process of growing these boxes takes seven days to complete and involves mixing the mycelium with agricultural waste such as hemp and placing it into a mold. The first five days are crucial as that’s the amount of time it takes for the mycelium to grow to the right size. After that, the growth-inducing substrate is removed from the mold and dehydrated to prevent it from expanding further.
What Amen is then left with is a solid, cylindrical packaging that actually captures carbon from the environment rather than produces it.
It seems the mycelium-based design is getting its moment in the spotlight recently. Just last month, we wrote a story about the Living Cocoon, a coffin made from mycelium that actively contributes to the body’s composting process after death and simultaneously removes toxic substances from the earth. You can read more about this mushroom-based coffin right here.
Image source: Amen
