To be honest, I think the the vast majority of us don’t really like talking about coffins because of what they are associated with.
Nonetheless, the ‘world’s first living coffin‘ is now a thing and much of the internet is pretty amazed by it.
Earlier this year, a Dutch startup company announced it was now selling biodegradable coffins, with the effect taking place in just 45 days.
Loop Biotech began its venture in 2020, and is already making headlines just a few years into its business.
They make coffins alongside an urn model, shipping to those who may want to invest in both the US and Europe.
Founders Lonneke Westhoff and Bob Hendrikx state on their website how they wanted to ‘give humanity a positive footprint’ with the coffins.
So, what is the ‘world’s first living coffin’ made out of?
Well, mushrooms of all things.
While you are used to having it in a variety of dishes including a salad, you don’t expect to be buried in a coffin made by the fungus.
The idea came about as the the co-founders of Loop Biotech look at how mushrooms can take dead, fallen trees and turn them into new life.
So, with that in mind, they produced a coffin that allows human remains to become food sources for the earth.
Speaking to US Today earlier this year, Hendrikx said: “You can now have a piece of nature to be (remembered) by.
“The material, the mycelium, if you just put it in the soil, it’s a soil enhancer that increases biodiversity.
“Combining a product that is good for the soil and something to bury people in is a win-win.”
In the same interview, Hendrikx detailed how the coffins are made, saying the company grows mushrooms and combines them with hemp fibers.
It then takes upcycled hemp and combines it with mycelium. The mycelium and hemp fibers grow inside a mold, a process that takes seven days.
The coffins have been a hot topic of conversation on Reddit, as a TikTok detailing the invention was posted to the ‘Damnthatsinteresting’ forum.
Many Redditors have since flocked to the comments section of the post to provide their thoughts.
“This is how I want my body buried. How cool would it be to have graveyards that are just lush forests full of trees! Instead of leaving flowers at a gravestone, you can plant flowers around the tree that grew from your loved one’s remains,” one person penned.
While a second added: “Not sure why natural burial/decomposition isn’t utilized by more of the population.”
