123. From Gas to Glam: Molly Morse Discusses Mango Materials' Biodegradable Innovations

In this episode of Grow Everything, Karl and Erum dive deep into the transformative world of biomanufacturing with Molly Morse, CEO and Co-founder of Mango Materials. Molly shares how her team is using methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases—as a feedstock to create PHAs, a class of biodegradable bioplastics. From wastewater treatment partnerships to collaboration with brands like Allbirds and Stella McCartney, Mango Materials is setting a new standard in sustainable innovation. The conversation spans synthetic biology, microbial fermentation, the challenges of scaling, and even bioplastics in space. If you're passionate about circular economies, advanced materials, or cutting-edge climate tech, this episode is for you.
Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?
Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.messaginglab.com/groweverything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Kicking Things Off: Weekend Tales & Seal Surprises
00:00:36 - A Shiny Seal, Beach Drama & Wildlife Wisdom
00:02:51 - AI is Basically Michael Scott… And That’s a Good Thing
00:04:40 - Can We Trust World Leaders Taking Advice from ChatGPT?
00:07:44 - AI That Talks Back: Selling Smarter with Conversational Tech
00:09:35 - Muscles Made in a Lab? Welcome to the Future of Biology
00:12:36 - Molly Morse Joins: Turning Methane into Magic with Mango Materials
00:29:33 - Waste to Wealth: How Municipal Methane Becomes a Revenue Stream
00:30:16 - From Landfills to Livestock: Where the Methane Goldmine Is
00:31:33 - Scaling Science: The Real Talk Behind Biomanufacturing Challenges
00:33:47 - Zero Gravity, Big Ideas: Mango’s Mission in Space
00:38:34 - From Microbes to Market: Scaling PHA Pellet Production
00:46:11 - What Does “Biodegradable” Really Mean? Let’s Break It Down
00:51:35 - Big Picture: What’s Next for Mango Materials and Biotech Innovation
Links and Resources:
Mango Materials
Michael Scott Guide to AI Terminologies
Engineered Muscles That Move Like the Real Thing? MIT Just Made It Happen
Protoclone: Bipedal Musculoskeletal Android V1 by Clone Robotics
Mango Materials Zero G Experience on G-Force One to test fermentation on a membrane-based bioreactor system in weightlessness
Topics Covered: 
biomanufacturing, biomaterials, greenhouse gas, waste to value, biopolymers
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Email: groweverything@messaginglab.com
Music by: Nihilore
Production by: Amplafy Media