New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Project category

Identify the award category for which this project is being submitted
Shaping a circular industrial ecosystem and supporting life-cycle thinking

Email user
pd@mogu.bio

Basic information
Project title
Mycelium Wall Acoustic Panels

Full Project Title
PLUMA, a collection of slim, 100% circular wall covering panels with sound-absorbing properties

Please provide a short, catchy description of your project to be used in communication towards the public.
PLUMA is a new collection of slim, 100% circular wall covering panels with sound-absorbing properties. They are designed to give an innovative and natural look to all spaces. They are made from soft, foam-like mycelium materials and of upcycled textile residues.
Thanks to the unique technology, mogu panels represent today the most sustainable solution dedicated to interior spaces.

What was the geographical scope of your project?
Cross-border/international

Where was your project implemented?
Location 1
Italy

Location 2
Netherlands
Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries
- Member State(s), Western Balkans and other countries: Germany
If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
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Does your project address mainly urban or rural issues?
Mainly urban

Does your project refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your project benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
Yes

Which fund(s)?
Horizon2020 / Horizon Europe

Here you can provide more details about the name of the specific programme, strand/action line as relevant, and the year
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Has your project won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Is your project fully completed
Yes

Please indicate a date (mm/yy)
2022-09-27

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): mogu srl
  Type of organisation: For-profit company
  First name of representative: Paola
  Last name of representative: Dengo
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: Italy
  Function: marketing & communication manager
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via S. Francesco d'Assisi 62
  Town: Inarzo
  Postal code: 21020
  Country: Italy
  Direct Tel: +39 331 404 3854
  E-mail: pd@mogu.bio
  Website: https://mogu.bio/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.instagram.com/mogumycelium/
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #mogumycelium #mogu @mogumycelium
- URL: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mogumycelium
  Social media handle and associated hashtag(s): #mogumycelium #mogu @mogumycelium
In case my project is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my project in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
NEB Newsletter

Description of the project
Please provide a summary of your project.
Mogu products aim to shorten the gap between man and Nature, bringing the notion of the organic back into daily life. Starting from residues materials and by-products of other industrial processes, it offers today the first products based on mycelium (the vegetative part of fungi) available on the market, dedicated to interior design and architecture applications.
Mogu practices and processes are steadily founded on Circular Economy principles. We employ a vast variety of nutrient-rich, low-value fibres from different industries (agro, textile, etc.) and we transform them through proprietary technologies based on fungal fermentation, as in a fully circular approach.
Mogu PLUMA is a new collection of 100% circular, slim wallcovering panels, with soundabsorbing properties. A revolutionary new collection of totally eco-friendly panels, which combines astonishing Natural technologies with human ingeniousness and engineering.
PLUMA panels are designed to renovate and valorize interior spaces (such as restaurants, offices and shops) without forgetting the importance of the acoustic and thermal insulation factors.

The collaboration between nature and technology allows for introducing the major innovations that characterize PLUMA panels: textures and customization. Mogu design team has developed four different textures inspired by the perfect shapes of nature. It is in fact possible to imprint you’re the customers’ own texture on the mycelium, to obtain a completely customized and unique product.

Mogu panels are naturally fire retardant thanks to the ability of mycelium to slow down flame spread and form char. Thanks to an eco-friendly treatment, their fire reaction is further improved to class B-s2-d0, which allows their application in every public space. Our panels are treated with a water-based, zero halogens, heavy metal- and solvent-free paint.

Please indicate the main themes of your project with 5 key words.
mycelium technology

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
wall covering panels

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
circular economy

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
acoustic panels

Please indicate the main themes of your project with key words
100% biobased

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of sustainability and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Mogu cutting-edge technology is based on mycelium, the vegetative stage of mushrooms. Over the years, we have identified effective protocols to monitor the growth of these amazing organisms - and in line with that, we have learned to engineer the properties of the resulting materials.

We produce materials by growing selected strains of mycelium on pre-engineered substrates made of agro-industrial residues. By tuning the matrix configuration, we harvest different materials within short timeframes and with limited use of resources.

The impact of our industrial production systems becomes evident when looking at the tons of waste generated daily by human activities, from manufacturing, to agriculture and beyond.

By feeding on the organic matter, and thanks to Mogu’s design and engineering skills, the mycelium converts the low-value input matter into a product with high added value, characterised by unique aesthetics.

Mogu has developed its technology lead by an inner respect and appreciation for the rhythms of the larger ecosystem, only employing micro-organisms that are totally harmless to humans and to the environment.

We must NOW invest in our relationship with Earth making a shift on how we value, use, and dispose of resources, creating a circular system, as nature do.
Everything on earth is interconnected, humans, nature, wildlife…we are all part of what we call ecosystems.

Human activities have stressed out Earth for far too long changing ecosystems and provoking overpopulation, pollution, burning fossil fuels, and deforestation. Changes like these have triggered climate change, soil erosion, poor air quality, and so more.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
The collaboration between nature and technology allows for introducing the major innovations that characterize PLUMA panels: textures and
customization.
Mogu design team has developed four different textures inspired by the perfect shapes of nature: Reed, Leaves Needles and Mycelium. Unique creations
capable of flexible adaptations, to harmoniously enhance all types of surroundings.
One of the unique features of the textures developed at Mogu is that they have been designed to perfectly match, even when the panels are rotated. A
feature that makes the new PLUMA panels as fully versatile and dynamic elements for interior design.
Thanks to latest innovation implemented, the customization possibilities of PLUMA panels become endless. It is in fact possible to imprint you’re the customers’ own texture on the mycelium, to obtain a completely customized and unique product.

Please give information about the key objectives of your project in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the project can be exemplary in this context.
Mogu has developed its products on the principles of the circular economy. All waste raw materials used were sourced in Italy. These waste raw materials would not have found any other application. In this way, new products can be created from raw materials that would otherwise be thrown away.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the project and civil society have been involved in the project and what has been the impact of this involvement on the project
Citizens mainly benefit from the inherent functionality of our products, which represent a competitive alternative to conventional solutions offered by the market. The sustainability and innovation that characterise mogu products are an added value that allows us to create higher quality products with less waste and a reduced cost in the medium to long term for both the company and the direct consumer.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the project. Please highlight what the added value of their engagement was.
All mogu employees were involved in the realisation of the project.
From the laboratory to production, communication and sales. Thanks to shared work, it has been possible to achieve higher and higher quality standards.
We thrive to establish meaningful connections with other industries, through research funding or by engaging in co-development projects.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your project. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was.
Mogu cutting-edge technology is based on mycelium, the vegetative stage of mushrooms. Over the years, we have identified effective protocols to monitor the growth of these amazing organisms - and in line with that, we have learned to engineer the properties of the resulting materials.
Biologists, mycologists and designers worked in unison to find the perfect combination of performance and beauty.

Over the years, Mogu explored the potential of mycelium-based technologies in diverse application sectors. Through selected protocols, we developed a range of materials with different performances, from soft and foam-like to strong and high-density.

Thanks to many years of study we have combined astonishing mycelium technology with human ingeniousness and engineering.

Please give information on the results, outcomes and impacts achieved by your project in relation to the category you apply for. This includes also benefits from the project for direct and indirect beneficiaries
Today, our relationship with the ecosystem is more than ever compromised, due to human activity and particularly to the irresponsible manufacturing processes we constantly run. The impact of our industrial production systems becomes evident when looking at the tons of waste generated daily by human activities, from manufacturing, to agriculture and beyond.

Mogu has developed its technology lead by an inner respect and appreciation for the rhythms of the larger ecosystem, only employing micro-organisms that are totally harmless to humans and to the environment.

Please provide documents showing the results, outcomes and impacts of your project
PDF
PDF
- pdf-1-5192.pdf
Please highlight the innovative character of the project, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the project
Mogu panels, unlike standard solutions present on the market, allow for a completely sustainable and circular approach.
We offer functional, beautiful and meaningful products with a durable and sustainable life cycle. We are committed to do this by industrial processes that have the lowest environmental impact possible.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your project.
Our intent is to bring Nature closer to people, meeting the needs of everyday life, both functionally and aesthetically.
A vision of interior design that embraces Nature’s radical character, to establish a more honest relationship with the surrounding environment.
This vision is embedded in the products designed by Mogu, crafted with the lowest environmental impact possible, to offer radically innovative experiences.
At Mogu, we thrive to employ only residues as raw input materials, setting new value for unexploited resources through the skillful action of fungal mycelium.

Please describe which elements of your project could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and context. This may involve for example aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings etc.
Mogu panels can be used to make environments more sustainable and healthy.
They can be applied in residential, commercial, restaurants, offices, etc.
They can be used for both new buildings and renovations.

Please explain what kind of global challenges the project addresses by providing local solutions
Mogu is a concrete alternative and more sustainable solution than the solutions on the market.
We can harness the power of innovative materials to change the way we deal with our resources.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images (or other types of visual representations, if images are not possible) to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below
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By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed project has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the project and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary.
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their projects, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted project, is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes