TEACHING MACHINES
SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING: TEACHING MACHINES AND MAGICAL MUSHROOM COMPANY® PROTECT AUDIO INNOVATION
PRODUCT PROTECTION
Teaching Machines, a Wales-based company founded in 2022, creates innovative analogue audio hardware designed to last a lifetime. Their debut product, the Wellspring, is a solidly built reverb unit, praised by Grammy-winning composer Sam Slater for its precision and durability.
Committed to creating products that align with environmental responsibility, Teaching Machines needed packaging that protected their high-value equipment without contributing to plastic waste.
Magical Mushroom Company® collaborated with Teaching Machines to develop custom Mushroom® Packaging, providing a sustainable solution that ensures both safety and sustainability.
“WHY WOULD WE BUILD MACHINES TO LAST AND SHIP THEM IN HARMFUL PACKAGING?”
THE PROBLEM
TO REDUCE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT & MOVE AWAY FROM POLYSTYRENE PACKAGING
The Wellspring, a large, heavy unit with additional components like a power supply and mounting rack, required durable packaging to protect it during transit.
Traditional materials like polystyrene, while effective, did not align with Teaching Machines’ commitment to reducing environmental impact.
The challenge was to develop packaging that offered superior protection for delicate, high-value audio equipment while being eco-friendly and space-efficient for transportation.
THE SOLUTION
DESIGN, TEST & GROW PACKAGING, TO CREATE THE OPTIMUM PRODUCT
Magical Mushroom Company® used its Mushroom® Packaging technology to design custom moulds for the Wellspring and its components.
Soft tooling was created using 3D printing, followed by growing and testing the packaging for shock resistance, vibration protection, and edge-crush durability. The packaging also performed well under extreme temperatures and humidity conditions.
Once the hard tooling met rigorous standards, the packaging was produced at MMC’s Attenborough plant using mycelium combined with recycled agricultural by-products like hemp.
THE RESULT
PROTECTIVE MUSHROOM® PACKAGING THAT REPLACED RELIANCE ON POLYSTYRENE
Teaching Machines successfully replaced plastic with Mushroom® Packaging, eliminating polystyrene from their supply chain while maintaining the highest standards of protection for their products.
The biodegradable packaging, which breaks down within 45 days, resonated with Wellspring customers, reinforcing Teaching Machines’ brand values of longevity and environmental responsibility.
This collaboration demonstrated the versatility of Mushroom® Packaging for high-value, precision equipment, inspiring further applications in the audio industry.
“Our brand is built around longevity, accessibility, simplicity, and fixability. Why would we build machines that last a lifetime and ship them in packaging that threatens the future? We had to display joined-up thinking with a company like Magical Mushroom Company® to do as little harm as possible to the ecosystem.
Teaching Machines would love to continue working with Magical Mushroom Company® in the future. We have plans for many more products, and they will all need protection on their journey from our loving hands to our beloved customers.”
Mat Wigley, Co-Founder, Teaching Machines
