DELFT, Netherlands (AP) – For those who want to live as sustainably as possible, there is now life after death.
A Dutch intrepid inventor is now “growing” coffins by mixing mycelium, the root structure of fungi, together with hemp fibers into a special shape that, within a week, transforms into what could basically be compared to the appearance of an unpainted Egyptian sarcophagus .
And while traditional wooden coffins come from trees that can take decades to grow and years to decay in the soil, the mushroom versions biodegrade and the remains are released into nature in barely a month and a half.
In our 21st century, where the individual spirit is increasingly able to thrive far beyond the constraints of the past, death and funerals are often still shaped by traditions that may fall far short of the vision of the deceased or their loved ones.
“We all have different cultures and different ways of being buried in the world. But I think there are many of us, a large percentage of us, who would like it differently. And that’s kind of old-fashioned for 50 or 100 years,” said Shawn Harris, a US investor in Loop Biotech, which makes the coffins.
With climate awareness and a special concern for nature at the heart of more and more lives, Loop Biotech says it offers the answer for those who want to live the full cycle of life – and more – as close to what they always do have believed.
Bob Hendrikx, the 29-year-old founder, who wore a T-shirt that read “I am compost” to a recent presentation, said he has researched nature extensively, “especially mushrooms”. And I learned that they are the largest recyclers in the world. So I thought: Hey, why can’t we be part of the circle of life? And then I decided to grow a mushroom-based coffin.” Moss can be draped in the coffins for burial ceremonies.
And for those who prefer cremation, there is also an urn to bury with a sapling sticking out. When the urn is dismantled, the ashes can help bring life to the tree.
“Instead of: ‘We die, we end up in the ground and that’s it’. Now there is a new story: we can enrich life after death and you can continue to thrive as a new plant or tree,” Hendrikx said in an interview. “It brings with it a new narrative where we can be part of something bigger than ourselves.”
To put nature at the heart of such burials, Loop Biotech works with Natuurbegraven Nederland – Nature Burials Netherlands – which uses six special habitats where remains can be embedded in protected parks.
Loop Biotech currently has the capacity to “grow” and ship 500 coffins or urns per month across Europe. Hendrikx said they caught on in the Nordic countries.
“It’s the northern European countries where there is more environmental awareness and where there is also autumn,” he said. “So that they know the fungus and understand how it works and how it is part of the ecosystem.”
Raf Casert reported from Brussels.
