milieu noun mi • lieu
: the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops
Milli aims to shape more than just our physical environment; we want to spark discussion about our greater social environment and challenge existing standards.
Our philosophy is to take only what you need, build to your purpose, and design for decommissioning. Our materials come from renewable resources and will return to the earth when they are no longer needed.
Sustainability is our passion.
Milli was born from a love of nature and a desire to make the built environment better for both people and the planet.
At Milli, our goal is to make truly sustainable materials more visible, accessible, and cost-competitive than ever before. We strive to work with honesty and environmental sensitivity to make carbon-negative materials the new standard.
What is our sustainability approach?
We are approaching decarbonization from a different perspective. While most sustainable building practices aim to reduce environmental harm by lowering operational energy usage, we want to counteract harm by turning buildings into carbon stores.
Embodied carbon (EC) is the upstream and downstream emissions associated with the manufacture, installation, and disposal of a material. It is an environmental cost that consumers often do not see, yet it accounts for a huge amount of a building’s total carbon footprint. While spray foam insulation will dramatically improve a building’s energy efficiency, it will take decades of energy savings to offset the emissions produced before it was even applied.
On the other hand, natural, minimally processed materials can have a negative embodied carbon, meaning that they sequester more carbon than is emitted during manufacture. Wood from a sustainably managed forest, for example, stores carbon even after it is harvested, turning your timber-framed house into a custom-built carbon store. These are the materials we want to share.
Milli goes further.
Traditional mycelium composites fall into the negative embodied carbon category due to their biomass content.
At Milli, we are pushing for even greater carbon negativity. Our mycelium grows on a 100% local waste substrate, diverting paper and food waste from landfills and turning it into usable material. We use several carefully selected strains of fungi that grow with minimal climate control, preventing the need for energy-intensive temperature and humidity controls. We have eliminated disposables from our routine production, replacing typical disposable fungi cultivation bags and labware with reusable glass and high-quality plastic alternatives. Finally, to ensure that our products have a place in the circular economy, we only use treatments that do not affect the biodegradability of our products.
