Can mushrooms solve the world’s diaper problem?

No one enjoys a dirty diaper, but the stinky things are threatening more than just your nostrils. 

More than 300k diapers — first introduced in 1948 by Johnson & Johnson — are thrown out every minute, per Fast Company, and the issue is piling up in our landfills. 

Now, startup Hiro wants to give parents an option more convenient than cloth diapers and more sustainable than traditional disposable ones:

• Each of Hiro’s diapers comes with a packet of plastic-eating fungi that is activated by contact with liquid.
• After a diaper change, caregivers place a Hiro Pouch into the dirty diaper and throw it away.
• Weeks later, the fungi start eating the plastic diaper, drastically cutting down on the ~400 years a typical diaper takes to decompose. 

The startup is aiming for backyard compostability by next year and hopes to one day build the fungi directly into its diapers — though consumers are iffier on mushrooms near their baby’s bottom. 

Oh, poop

Plastic is a problem far bigger than what you’ll find in a used diaper: It’s responsible for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 430m metric tons of plastic waste are generated every year — with just 9% getting recycled. 

Even scarier, plastic production is projected to triple by 2060. 

Luckily, consumers are showing increased interest in eco-friendly diapers. 

Shroom boom

And other companies are busy setting hungry fungi loose across industries. In fact, the global mushroom market is projected to be worth $136B by 2032, up from today’s $56B.

• Mycocycle uses fungi to decompose waste — including rubber, paper, and nylon — and produce a material that can be used as insulation, acoustic panels, and concrete filler.
• Ecovative raised $11m to grow its lineup of mycelium-based products, from mushroom-based bacon to fabric. 

Pact Outdoors is even tackling adult poop waste with mycelium tablets that break down human waste and kill harmful bacteria. 

And, if you think a dirty diaper is impressive, let us not forget the mushroom coffins that can make soil out of a whole human.