There are lots of petroleum-based plastic foams in modern cars. Foams are found in bumpers, doors, roofs, engine bays, trunk liners, dashboards and seats. These foams absorb impact, insulate, dampen sound, and provide lightweight structure within an automobile. These foams are generally not recyclable, can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and are made from non-renewable hydrocarbon resources.
In 2000, the European Union passed the End of Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive to promote recycling and provide incentives for environmentally responsible vehicle design. This extended producer responsibility (EPR) law encourages eliminating petroleum derived plastic foam products that are hard to take-back, can be hazardous, or are not recyclable. Similar initiatives are being considered in countries and companies around the world, prompting auto makers to seek alternatives to plastic foams.
Ecovative is developing specially tuned mushroom materials for use in automotive applications. These materials exhibit excellent performance characteristics:
- Better energy dissipation than Expanded Polypropylene (EPP)
- Low or no VOCs
- Entirely recyclable or compostable at end of use
- Very good acoustical sound attenuation
- Passes all accelerated aging tests
- Fire retardant without any added chemicals
Ecovative’s mushroom materials were used to insulate the inner-cooling tank on an E-85 powered land-speed record-breaking car that was built using many innovative bio-based materials.
We are currently seeking partners for automotive related development and commercialization projects. Start a project >
We also offer custom packaging solutions for automotive manufacturing and service parts. Learn more about Mushroom® Packaging >