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Why the Project Is Important

The underground part of mushrooms is already being researched and used as an alternative raw material. The first patents were filed more than 20 years ago, in part to produce alternative packaging. But every new application brings new challenges: for example, load-bearing panels made from fungal mycelium instead of polypropylene. Bächer Bergmann GmbH aims to use this to make its cargo bikes more sustainable. This would allow the company to avoid using climate-damaging raw materials right from the manufacturing stage and to compost end-of-life parts in an environmentally friendly way. There are no (known) precedents for this, so the path to the “Mycelium Bike Box” can only be forged through research.

What the project aims to achieve

Fungal mycelium combines two elements: a network of fine fibers—the hyphae—and organic materials such as sawdust, which serve as nutrients. Like a network of roots, the mycelium permeates the organic residues and binds them into a solid structure that, depending on the fungus, has fire-resistant and water-repellent properties. It can take on any shape in the process. “We’re looking for a fungus that forms hyphae quickly with as little energy as possible, and a nutrient medium made from waste materials,” explains Anna Gronemeyer, who led the project until the end of 2024 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Manuel Kretzer. One of the biggest challenges is stability: How can the mycelium composite be made strong enough to withstand vibrations and impacts?

What findings have emerged?

Already during the second year of the project, the research group was able to identify a fungus that possesses all the key properties needed for the sustainable box. It belongs to the Ganoderma family of fungi, which grows somewhat more slowly but forms a more robust mycelium network than other fungi. The resulting panels are significantly lighter than those made of polypropylene.  Due to its high chitin content, the Ganoderma mushroom also forms a particularly fire-resistant and water-repellent material. They were supported in this effort by the Biotechnology research group at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences to ensure the right growth conditions, such as sterility.

And what about the material’s stability? To address this, the research group experimented in its laboratory on the Campus Dessau with various reinforcements—that is, inserts made of textiles, bamboo, and other organic materials. Material tests currently underway, which simulate the forces acting on a bicycle, will determine which reinforcement is the right one.  

What’s next?

In the third year of the project, the focus is on building a prototype of the fungal mycelium box to assess its practicality and scalability. “Materials can rarely be replaced on a one-to-one basis—but they often open up entirely new possibilities. That’s what makes research projects like this so exciting,” says Anna Gronemeyer, who has since moved to the “Innovative Mycolab-Mycothek (InMyco)” project. This project emerged from a collaboration with biotechnologists at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. Once again, the focus is on fungal mycelium as a material of the future.

Certain conditions are necessary for cultivating fungal mycelium: sterility, for example (Figure 1), as well as the correct temperatures, which are maintained here by a climate chamber (Figure 2). Sheets of fungal mycelium resemble conventional materials made from organic substances—at least visually.

Ms. Gronemeyer, what challenges did you face when producing the fungal mycelium composite?

I’m a designer, not a biotechnologist, so I first had to learn the proper working conditions—that is, working under sterile conditions and using a climate chamber. On top of that, you’re dealing with a living material that grows. And every mushroom does this differently, even within the same family. Many tests are necessary to ensure a reliable result.

What challenges do you see for industrial use?

Among the biggest challenges are certainly the variations between individual mycelium panels, because we’re dealing with a living material that reacts to environmental conditions such as humidity and temperature. That may also be one reason why it hasn’t quite made its way into our everyday lives yet. But there are companies that are already successfully using materials grown from fungal mycelium. Packaging was among the first applications; since then, others have been added, such as leather substitutes for bags, flooring, acoustic panels, and insulation materials for homes. In any case, a large market can be expected.

Can the fungi used for this purpose be dangerous?

No, they’re generally edible and are also killed by heat before they’re processed further.

You switched to a different project at the beginning of 2025. What is that project about?

Together with the Biotechnology Department at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, we want to establish a “mycotheque”—that is, a material library for fungal mycelium. The goal is to explore the potential of mycelium, as well as to develop more circular materials from regional waste products. The overarching aim is to generate new value chains.

That sounds very technical. Why is this interesting to you as textile designers?

That’s true. But ever since I completed my master’s degree at the Burg Academy nearly ten years ago, I’ve been fascinated by working with mycelium. It’s so versatile and sustainable, and a type of textile emerges from the interconnection of the individual hyphae, which, under a microscope, form a kind of nonwoven fabric—essentially felt. It remains my vision to develop a natural, fire- and water-resistant alternative coating for textiles. Perhaps through research at the Mycotheque, I’ll find a way to produce a type of yarn that can be used for weaving or knitting. I see a lot of potential for the textile industry, especially in aerial mycelium.

Anna Gronemeyer at Green Week in Berlin: Since the prototype of the Mycelium Bike Box is still under development, she designed egg cartons made of mushroom mycelium for the trade show to demonstrate its functions.

The project team will also present its research in Berlin during Green Week 2025. Interested visitors can learn about the project’s progress and view materials made from fungal mycelium at the Saxony-Anhalt state pavilion.

The Mycelium Bike Box research project is funded as part of the ZIM program of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and will run through the end of 2025.

Further information and current contact details for the Materiability Research Group at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences are available on the project website.

On the topic of “Sustainable Design,” the following article has also been published on Anhalt University of Applied Sciences’ Climate Blog: “Sustainable Design Today: For Aesthetics and Environmental Protection”

Additional articles on the topic of sustainable materials derived from biological sources and waste materials on the Climate Blog:

Materiability Research Group: Research Takes Shape

What Are Chaff and Knotweed Doing in the Mechanical Engineering Lab?

Paludiculture Building Materials: How the Idea for New Value Creation Came About

Fungal Mycelium as a Material: What a Mycothek Holds in Store for Companies in the Future