Unique properties of fungi have led to groundbreaking innovations in recent years, from nappies to electronics
F
rom the outside, it looks like any ordinary nappy – one of the tens of billions that end up in landfill each year. But the Hiro diaper comes with an unusual companion: a sachet of freeze-dried fungi to sprinkle over a baby’s gloopy excretions.
The idea is to kickstart a catalytic process that could see the entire nappy – plastics and all – broken down into compost within a year.
Hiro was one of several innovations recognised this week by the Future is Fungi Awards, which honour groundbreaking innovations using fungi to tackle some of the planet’s most urgent environmental challenges.
