Building with nature

There is an urgent need for sustainable alternatives that can reduce the environmental footprint of the built environment. The construction industry is one of the major contributors to environmental degradation and climate change. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the sector accounts for 38% of global energy-related CO2 emissions, 36% of total final energy use, and 40% of material resource use. Moreover, the production of traditional construction materials such as cement, steel, and concrete has significant impacts on land use, water consumption, biodiversity loss, and air pollution. Therefore, there is an urgent need for sustainable alternatives that can reduce the environmental footprint of the built environment.
Rongo’s solution is to create alternative materials that have lower embodied energy and carbon emissions, require fewer natural resources, and can be reused or recycled at the end of their life cycle. By adopting these materials, the construction industry can contribute to the global goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, enhancing resource efficiency, and promoting a circular economy. We use mycelium, the root fiber of mushrooms, to develop our materials on organic and synthetic substrates that are byproducts or “wastes” of other industries. We select commercial and agricultural by-products that would otherwise go to landfills in order to produce our mycelium solutions. Our entire production process only has a significant positive environmental impact and is totally regenerative. Their outstanding versatility makes mycelium manufacturing processes easier to manage, driving down costs to levels comparable to classic industrial products. In terms of physical properties, according to the available literature, mycelium-based biocomposites exhibit low density and good insulation properties, which have acoustic and thermal benefits