Australia recently held its first funeral using a mushroom casket rather than traditional wood construction

On September 4, 2026, Carolyn — surname withheld by request — became the first person in Australia to be laid to rest in a mushroom coffin. She was in her 70s. Her husband said the choice reflected her lifelong values: a commitment to giving back, to others and to nature alike.

The coffin, known as the “Living Cocoon,” is the creation of Dutch company Loop Biotech. It is grown, not built — cultivated from mycelium, the root network of fungi, interwoven with hemp fibres.

The growing process itself is remarkable: what takes decades in nature is compressed into just seven days in a controlled lab environment in the Netherlands, yielding a finished coffin weighing around 30 kg. Once buried, that speed reverses just as dramatically — the coffin fully biodegrades into the surrounding soil in roughly 45 days, compared to the up to 50 years a traditional wooden casket can take.

“Maybe it’s time we questioned how we want to go beyond the traditional ways of our ancestors.”

Mushroom Urn costs: 

• Canada & US approximately $495 to $550.

Mushroom Casket (full size):

Canadian & US retailers: around $4,000 to $6000 (Can)