One year into my journey of conscious living, I realized that no matter how many sustainable choices we make as individuals—carrying our own bags, eating plant-based, or cutting down consumption—they remain a whisper against the roar of industrial-scale impact. The real problem is deeper: it lies in the raw materials that power our industries and the waste they leave behind. ​ Take leather, for instance—synonymous with luxury but born from cruelty, chemical waste, and enormous carbon emissions. Or look closer to home: stubble burning, a desperate act by farmers to clear agricultural residue, has become one of the biggest contributors to seasonal air pollution across North India. It’s not that people don’t care; it’s that the system leaves them no better choice. How could an individual choice compete with something so deeply embedded in our system? ​ The answer, I found, doesn’t lie in rejecting industry, but in redefining it. Not by creating less, but by creating differently. By replacing extractive materials with regenerative ones. ​That’s where fungi come in. Mycelium—the root-like network of mushrooms. Mycelium, nature’s master recycler, can transform agricultural waste into beautiful, durable materials that rival animal leather—without the cruelty, without the pollution, without the carbon burden. Grown, not slaughtered. Materials that are biodegradable, non-toxic, and truly circular.​ With Mico, we are building a future where pollution is replaced by regeneration. Where stubble becomes a starting point, not a dead end. And where industries, instead of taking from the Earth, grow with it. ​We’re not just replacing leather—we’re reimagining the entire system of how things are made. Because sustainability should be effortless, scalable, and rooted in the wisdom of nature. Arpit Mangal