Biodegradable packaging

This invention

This invention is a biodegradable food packaging material grown from agricultural waste bound together by mushroom mycelium — the root-like network of fungi. It's engineered to replace expanded polystyrene foam in protective and insulating roles. Instead of petroleum-based foam, it grows a structural composite from low-value crop residues and a fungal binder. That composite can be shaped, used, and then composted. The idea sits at the intersection of sustainable packaging, biomaterials, and applied mycology.

Where it fits

Your idea lives in a lively, well-developed corner of biomaterials and packaging. The data shows strong concentration in Genetic Engineering (C12N) — about 24× the corpus baseline — and Horticulture & Forestry (A01G) at around 104×, both reflecting the fungal-growth side. On the product side, you'll find Containers & Packaging (B65D) and Layered Materials (B32B). Together these point to a focused, real-world space.

Filings have stayed active since 2018: six in 2018, six in 2021, and four each in 2022 and 2023. Several groups work here. Ecovative Design LLC (seven patents in this set) and MycoWorks Inc (five) lead on the mycelium side. Vericool Inc and Ford Global Technologies LLC are active on compostable insulation and mycelium composites. The field also connects to Cement & Ceramics (C04B), which these results touch less.

Closest related work

US-9485917-B2 — Method for producing grown materials and products made thereby (Ecovative Design LLC · 40 citations · 44-member family)

This is a foundational description of the very approach you're exploring. It inoculates a substrate of discrete particles plus nutrient material with a fungus, then lets hyphae grow and bond the particles into a composite. Reading it shows how Ecovative framed growing a structural material from agricultural-style feedstock and fungal binder — the core mechanism behind replacing molded foam. It's a useful baseline for understanding how this class of material is built and shaped.

US-11866691-B2 — Method for creating a stiff, rigid mycelium-based biocomposite material (Okom Wrks Labs PBC · 1 citation · 3-member family, filed/granted 2024, recent)

This recent patent combines agricultural waste and fungal mycelium to produce stiff, load-bearing biocomposites, with an emphasis on reduced embodied carbon. Reading it shows how a newer entrant strengthened mycelium composites for structural use. That's relevant if your packaging needs rigidity and protective performance, and it offers a good window into how the field is currently pushing on mechanical properties.

US-10604734-B2 — Thermal insulation material from mycelium and forestry byproducts (University of Alaska Anchorage · 16 citations · 6-member family)

This patent describes biodegradable insulation built from a structural scaffold and a temperature-resilient fungus grown on forestry byproducts. Reading it shows how a research group approached the insulating dimension specifically — directly relevant to the "insulating applications" goal in your idea. It also illustrates how feedstock selection and fungal choice shape thermal performance.

US-11040818-B2 — Compostable insulation for shipping container (Vericool Inc · 6 citations · 17-member family)

Vericool's patent covers compostable thermal insulation pads made primarily from starch and/or plant-fiber pulp, sealed in a water-resistant film and sized to fit shipping containers. It uses a different binder than mycelium, but it chases the same end goal: replacing foam in protective, insulating packaging with a compostable alternative. Reading it surfaces practical concerns like moisture barriers and container fit.

What you can do next

• Explore & build on it. Browse the related work above — new, differentiated ideas often come from combining or improving on existing approaches. Think about a particular fungal strain, an agricultural feedstock blend, a molding or curing process, or a moisture-barrier treatment others haven't pinned down for food contact.
• If you'd like to protect it. Filing a provisional application (usually with a patent attorney) is a common first step. Most inventions can be protected in some form — what matters is how broad and defensible that protection is, which is where a patent attorney adds value (a very narrow claim may be granted but protect very little).
• If you'd like to make or sell it. The patents above point to who holds r