Introducing The World’s First Ever Living Coffin: Mushroom-based and Available in the UK (2 of 4)
‘I’m certain that by the winter, my dad will be completely integrated with the garden,’ Marsya Ancker expressed to Fast Company. ‘He had no wish to undergo embalming, preferring instead to merge with the Earth in a place dear to him.’
She reminisced about her father’s wishes, sharing that he always expressed a desire to be buried without any garments, beneath a tree in the midst of the forest.
Following his demise in June, Marsya’s immediate action was to contact Loop Biotech. Consequently, her father earned the distinction of being the inaugural individual in the US to be interred in the ‘Living Cocoon’, positioned in a verdant clearing on his Maine property.
To date, Loop Biotech has successfully marketed approximately 2,500 of these green caskets across Europe, with the Netherlands hosting the majority of these sales. Additionally, the company offers shipping options for these coffins to the United Kingdom.
“Immerse yourself in the grand cycle of nature by contributing to the ecosystem with the planet’s inaugural living burial vessel,” states their webpage.
The firm mentions that conventional wooden caskets not only take several decades for the trees to mature but also necessitate the felling, importing, and processing of the wood.
In contrast, their ‘Living Cocoon’ can be cultivated entirely in a week using locally sourced materials, thereby eliminating the need for long-distance transportation and the application of additional paint, adhesive, varnish, or fasteners.
To construct their eco-friendly burial containers, they utilize mycelium – the fungal network often referred to as mushrooms’ ‘roots’ – combined with hemp, a crop renowned for its durable fibers. This concoction is then placed into a mould, from which the coffin materializes within seven days.
With a production site in Delft, Netherlands that spans 1,500 square meters, the company boasts the capacity to cultivate up to 500 biodegradable caskets concurrently.
Priced at approximately £3,000, the eco-conscious coffin is not only suitable for burials but serves equally for cremations, while their sustainable urns are available for about £300.
On the other hand, the cost of a wooden coffin can fluctuate widely based on the wood type, craftsmanship quality, and its purpose (whether for cremation or burial), with prices starting as low as $270 to a high of around $2,000 within the UK.
