12.12.24
Hiro Technologies (pronounced “hero”), co-founded by Miki Agrawal (Thinx, Tushy) and Tero Isokauppila (Four Sigmatic), launches its Kickstarter campaign to unveil a groundbreaking innovation: plastic-eating fungi technology. This transformative development harnesses fungi’s natural power to break down plastic waste, offering a revolutionary end-of-life solution to one of the planet’s most urgent environmental challenges. The Kickstarter supports this first phase of Hiro's mission to scale this technology globally. As plastic waste continues to mount, Hiro Technologies is poised to reshape how we approach plastic disposal, creating a future where nature itself can undo humanity’s environmental footprint. While Hiro's first consumer application—MycoDigestible diapers—is set to debut in February 2025, the focus of this initial launch is on the fungi-powered technology that makes it all possible.
Each year, the world produces 430 million tons of plastic, yet under 10% is recycled. The rest piles up in landfills, clogs waterways, and pollutes oceans, creating a cascading environmental disaster. Plastics, designed for durability, take hundreds of years to degrade, leaving a toxic legacy for future generations. Microplastics have infiltrated the air, water, and even human bodies, causing harm to ecosystems, health, and reproductive systems. By 2050, it’s estimated that the oceans will contain more plastic than fish. “Our dependence on plastic is unsustainable,” says Agrawal. “It’s an environmental issue and a human health crisis. We knew we had to look to nature for a solution.”
Hiro Technologies has pioneered a revolutionary approach to plastic’s end-of-life using fungi, nature’s original decomposers. While plastic-eating fungi were first discovered by Japanese scientists and later studied by Yale researchers, these breakthroughs remained confined to laboratories. Hiro Technologies has taken this science to the next level, creating a patented, award-winning, shelf-stable, commercial solution that makes fungi-powered recycling safe, scalable, and accessible for consumers and manufacturers alike. In November, Hiro Technologies won the prestigious 2024 Hygienix Innovation Award, the highest honor in the nonwovens industry.
The science is as elegant as it is powerful. Fungi secrete enzymes that target and break apart the carbon chains in plastic, transforming it into soil and mycelium—a valuable byproduct that can enrich ecosystems. Unlike traditional end-of-life methods that require high energy inputs or create harmful emissions, Hiro's fungi-powered solution is scalable, sustainable, and truly circular. “It’s literally in mushrooms’ DNA to break down complex carbon materials,” explains Isokauppila. “They already break down lignin which has a similar carbon backbone to plastics. We’ve simply re-trained them to do what they already kind of knew how to do."
Hiro Technologies’ ultimate goal is to become the global supplier of plastic-eating fungi, partnering with manufacturers, consumer brands, and waste management companies worldwide. For plastic products with no end-of-life solutions, Hiro provides a natural answer to these challenges, helping existing plastic manufacturers address disposal issues effectively. “Imagine a world where harmful plastics are turned into nourishing soil,” says Agrawal. “That’s the magic we’re harnessing—a solution that’s as old as Earth itself, powered by the incredible potential of fungi and human ingenuity.”
As Hiro gears up for the release of its first product, the world’s first MycoDigestible diaper, the company highlights the unique role of parents and babies in this ecosystem. Diapers, a top contributor to household plastic waste, create an opportunity to pair human-created waste with fungi’s transformative power. “Baby poop is gold,” Agrawal adds. “Right now, we’re throwing away this incredible fertilizer while relying on pig manure to nourish our crops. Every baby—and every mother—has the potential to fuel this 100-million-year-old technology. By embracing this natural cycle, we can turn waste into life-sustaining material.”
Through the Kickstarter, supporters can help fast-track this groundbreaking innovation while gaining access to exclusive rewards, including Hiro's Plastic Breakdown Kit—a sleek terrarium that demonstrates the fungi-powered recycling process—and the first MycoDigestible diapers at discounted rates. Larger contributions unlock experiences like a masterclass with co-founder Tero Isokauppila or even funding a landfill pilot project in a developing country. Every pledge accelerates research and development, bringing scalable fungi-based solutions to consumers and industries worldwide.
Each year, the world produces 430 million tons of plastic, yet under 10% is recycled. The rest piles up in landfills, clogs waterways, and pollutes oceans, creating a cascading environmental disaster. Plastics, designed for durability, take hundreds of years to degrade, leaving a toxic legacy for future generations. Microplastics have infiltrated the air, water, and even human bodies, causing harm to ecosystems, health, and reproductive systems. By 2050, it’s estimated that the oceans will contain more plastic than fish. “Our dependence on plastic is unsustainable,” says Agrawal. “It’s an environmental issue and a human health crisis. We knew we had to look to nature for a solution.”
Hiro Technologies has pioneered a revolutionary approach to plastic’s end-of-life using fungi, nature’s original decomposers. While plastic-eating fungi were first discovered by Japanese scientists and later studied by Yale researchers, these breakthroughs remained confined to laboratories. Hiro Technologies has taken this science to the next level, creating a patented, award-winning, shelf-stable, commercial solution that makes fungi-powered recycling safe, scalable, and accessible for consumers and manufacturers alike. In November, Hiro Technologies won the prestigious 2024 Hygienix Innovation Award, the highest honor in the nonwovens industry.
The science is as elegant as it is powerful. Fungi secrete enzymes that target and break apart the carbon chains in plastic, transforming it into soil and mycelium—a valuable byproduct that can enrich ecosystems. Unlike traditional end-of-life methods that require high energy inputs or create harmful emissions, Hiro's fungi-powered solution is scalable, sustainable, and truly circular. “It’s literally in mushrooms’ DNA to break down complex carbon materials,” explains Isokauppila. “They already break down lignin which has a similar carbon backbone to plastics. We’ve simply re-trained them to do what they already kind of knew how to do."
Hiro Technologies’ ultimate goal is to become the global supplier of plastic-eating fungi, partnering with manufacturers, consumer brands, and waste management companies worldwide. For plastic products with no end-of-life solutions, Hiro provides a natural answer to these challenges, helping existing plastic manufacturers address disposal issues effectively. “Imagine a world where harmful plastics are turned into nourishing soil,” says Agrawal. “That’s the magic we’re harnessing—a solution that’s as old as Earth itself, powered by the incredible potential of fungi and human ingenuity.”
As Hiro gears up for the release of its first product, the world’s first MycoDigestible diaper, the company highlights the unique role of parents and babies in this ecosystem. Diapers, a top contributor to household plastic waste, create an opportunity to pair human-created waste with fungi’s transformative power. “Baby poop is gold,” Agrawal adds. “Right now, we’re throwing away this incredible fertilizer while relying on pig manure to nourish our crops. Every baby—and every mother—has the potential to fuel this 100-million-year-old technology. By embracing this natural cycle, we can turn waste into life-sustaining material.”
Through the Kickstarter, supporters can help fast-track this groundbreaking innovation while gaining access to exclusive rewards, including Hiro's Plastic Breakdown Kit—a sleek terrarium that demonstrates the fungi-powered recycling process—and the first MycoDigestible diapers at discounted rates. Larger contributions unlock experiences like a masterclass with co-founder Tero Isokauppila or even funding a landfill pilot project in a developing country. Every pledge accelerates research and development, bringing scalable fungi-based solutions to consumers and industries worldwide.
