First Mushroom Coffin Burial Highlights Australia’s Shift Toward Sustainable Funerals

A woman in her 70s, identified as Carolyn, was interred on a Friday at Springwood Cemetery in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, using a coffin grown from mycelium—the root network of fungi—and hemp fibres. The coffin, produced by Dutch firm Loop Biotech, forms in a climate-controlled mould within a week and begins to decompose after burial, fully integrating into the soil in roughly 45 days. Loop Biotech estimates each coffin weighs about 30 kg. Carolyn’s husband, David, said the choice reflected her lifelong commitment to helping others and “giving something back to nature.”

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The burial follows a broader rise in environmentally focused end-of-life options. While about 70 % of Australians currently opt for cremation, the process emits roughly 125 kg of carbon dioxide per ceremony. Alternatives such as alkaline hydrolysis, natural burials in cardboard coffins, and shallow graves emit far less—PlanetMark analysis places natural burial emissions at under 10 kg of CO2-equivalent. Cultural anthropologist Dr Hannah Gould of the University of Melbourne notes that declining religiosity and longer lifespans are prompting more people to reconsider traditional funeral rituals, leading to a “huge rise in funeral planning” that prioritises ecological impact.

The Guardian

He emphasized that the product “enriches the soil” as it breaks down. David Hendrikx reiterated that the coffin aligns with his late wife’s values, describing the burial as a continuation of her generosity toward the environment.

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• Decomposition time for the mycelium-hemp coffin: ~45 days versus up to 50 years for a traditional wooden casket.

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• Weight of each Loop Biotech coffin: ~30 kg.

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• Cremation emissions: ~125 kg CO2 per ceremony (estimated).

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• Natural burial emissions: <10 kg CO2-equivalent (PlanetMark).

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• “Five years ago when I started, there was lots of interest from Australia,” — Bob Hendrikx, loop biotech’s founder — Bob Hendrikx, Loop Biotech founder.

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