Founded in 1923, Raymarine is a manufacturer and major supplier of electronic equipment for marine use. Headquartered in Fareham, England, the company targets both recreational and light commercial markets with their industry-leading products.
The company was using polystyrene foam packaging to ensure its equipment was delivered to customers in ship shape. This equipment included its flagship DockSense™ Control device, which is the recreational marine industry’s first object recognition and motion-sensing assisted solution.
Always looking for ways to boost sustainability, Raymarine is especially conscious of the importance preserving the marine environment. With polystyrene foam and other plastics comprising 90% of marine debris, the company sought out an alternative, more sustainable, packaging solution. The new packaging had to be as tough as the rugged, reliable navigation equipment it housed, and cardboard-based alternatives proved to be simply not strong enough.
Raymarine found a like-minded business partner in Magical Mushroom Company® (MMC), the first ever UK manufacturers of mycelium-based packaging.
MMC quickly created bespoke Mushroom® Packaging especially for the DockSense™ Control device. The packaging underwent various drop, impact and stress tests, leaving the docking camera inside still in perfect condition. MMC’s sustainable packaging, as sophisticated as the state-of-the-art electronics it protects, consists of recycled agricultural waste, such as hemp, which is then combined with mycelium, the branching, root-like structure of mushrooms. The recycled waste binds with the mycelium in a matter of days to form strong protective packaging for the high-tech navigation equipment. After use – the fully-biodegradable packaging can be broken up and disposed of with food waste or scattered on a home compost heap or flowerbed.
Raymarine plans to phase out all its polystyrene packaging and replace it with mycelium within the next three years.
Andrea Csati, Strategic Sourcing Specialist at Raymarine, says: “Our relationship with the ocean makes working with Magical Mushroom Company® a natural fit. We’re delighted that Mushroom® Packaging shields our products so well and that we’re reducing our reliance on fossil fuel-based foams.”
Paul Gilligan, founder and CEO, Magical Mushroom Company adds: “We’re proud to support a huge range of companies with our tough, robust and 100% biodegradable packaging. Our customers produce a huge range of products, from beverages and cosmetics – through to appliances and electronics – but they all have one important thing in common. All are taking meaningful, proactive steps preserve the planet on which we all live.”
