Our mission is to cure fungi blindless and help both people and companies leverage fungal technologies to stay within planetary boundaries and to achieve social foundations. We use Kate Raworth’s Evolving Doughnut Framework to show how fungal technologies can help us achieve sustainable outcomes.
Hidden Heroes Campaign
Why cure your fungal blindness?
Fungi are one of our key recyclers on this planet, decomposing ~40-55% of the carbon they encounter from organic matter. ​
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Fungi form partnerships with 80% of plant species, extending their root systems up to 100 times their normal reach and facilitating nutrients exchange, including making our crops more resilient and nutrient dense.
​Fungi create and regenerate eco-systems. They enabled aquatic life to transition to land millions of years ago, and now help regenerate soils by re-establishing nutrient pathways and breaking down pollutants found in our environment.
​Fungi store and transfer 36% of man-made carbon emissions each year, trapping this in the soil and contributing to climate change mitigation.​
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Fungi represent 20% - 50% of the biomass in the soil and are essential for keeping our soils healthy by preventing soil erosion, transporting nutrients and improving water retention.​​
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Fungi are brilliant alchemists, giving us many of the active ingredients found in our medicines from cancer therapies to antibiotics and statins.
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Fungi underpin life on earth. They provide a myriad of critical eco-services which we are not able to do without. Yet they go unnoticed and unappreciated by so many. It is time we noticed these hidden heroes.
How we use the Evolving Doughnut
Framework
The Evolving Doughnut Framework outlines how the needs of people can be met while not compromising the state of the planet on which people depend. This equilibrium is described as the safe and just space for humanity to operate within, known as the doughnut (see diagram). The inner ring of the doughnut represents a social foundation, below which lies critical human deprivation. The outer ring represents an ecological ceiling (or planetary boundary), beyond which lies critical planetary degradation.
Out of the listed 21 boundaries, we are now exceeding or not meeting 19 of these, meaning we are putting a huge strain on the planet’s ecosystems and its ability to repair itself, while still failing to meet people’s basic needs.
Fungal technologies can help us remain within the doughnut.
Raworth, K (2025), The Evolving Doughnut. Doughnut Economics Action Lab, Oxford. https://doi.org/10.64981/XGRX2738
We promote and leverage six fungal technology themes which address eight planetary and social boundaries
The lines represent how solutions can support boundary challenges. The reality is that most boundary challenges are interconnected, however, if all interconnected lines were represented, the image would become too complicated.
Leverage fungal technologies to accelerate your corporate sustainability progress
If your company has any of the following targets, then it is very likely you will be able to use fungal technologies to supercharge your sustainability efforts.
Corporate sustainability targets
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Reduction in carbon emissions
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Reduction in carbon emissions via offsetting
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Reduction in hazardous waste
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Reduction in general waste
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Zero waste or achieved circularity
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Reduction in water usage
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Reduction in waste-water run off
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Reduction in pollution
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Reduction in land conversion
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Increased land regeneration
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Improvement in soil health
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Improvement in soil water retention
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Improvement in biodiversity
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Reduction in carbon emissions
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Reduction in carbon emissions via offsetting
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Reduction in hazardous waste
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Reduction in general waste
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Zero waste or achieved circularity
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Reduction in water usage
Contact the Hidden Heroes team to understand how you can better include fugal tech innovations in your sustainability strategy. We will be able to engage your team on the topic, help you implement the relevant fungal technologies, or simply point you in the right direction.
Other ways to accelerate your environmental impact using fungi
Global photography competition
To help people appreciate fungi and get closer to nature, we will be running our annual photography competition. This will begin in April 2026 and end in November 2026. It is open to all levels and all ages. The purpose of it is to get people paying attention to fungi. To ensure the competition is inclusive of all levels and ages, we will be awarding two prizes this year. Please click on the link below for more information.
