Welsh designer Steve Davies is working on the development of a surfboard made from mycelium, the root system of mushrooms.

Common surfboards are made of materials like polystyrene, polyurethane and resin, all fossil based materials that require hundreds of years to break down. The average surfboard creates 375 pounds of CO2 emissions in the production process.

Davies’ surfboard is made from mycelium, a natural material that resembles polystyrene in many of its properties. Unlike polystyrene, it is biodegradable. The mycelium is grown in 20 days around a 3D printed skeleton in a coral replicating shape, from a compostable material. The mycelium grows in a mould on materials like horse bedding and straw, collected at Davies’ family’s farm.

The material needs a coating to be suitable as a surfboard. Davies experimented with beeswax, pine resin and linseed oil. The first functioning prototype is complete.

Images via Mycelium Inspired / Mark Lewis