Woman laid to rest in coffin made from mushrooms in Australian first

A woman named Carolyn was buried at Springwood Cemetery in the Blue Mountains in what is reported as Australia’s first burial in a mushroom-based coffin. The casket, produced by Loop Biotech, is grown from mycelium (the fungal root network) and hemp fibres in a mould within a climate‑controlled room; it takes about a week to form, weighs roughly 30kg, and once interred breaks down in roughly 45 days, enriching the surrounding soil. Loop Biotech founder Bob Hendrikx notes thousands of similar coffins have been used across Europe and the US and argues the product shortens decomposition compared with traditional wooden coffins, which can take decades to degrade.

Family members said the choice reflected Carolyn’s values of giving back to nature, and her husband Donald welcomed the eco-friendly option. Cultural anthropologist Dr Hannah Gould links growing interest in such “eco‑death” choices to declining religiosity and increased funeral planning as people live longer and witness varied end‑of‑life arrangements. The item places itself alongside other low‑impact alternatives: about 70% of Australians currently choose cremation, which emits roughly 125kg CO2 per service, while natural burials and water‑based alkaline hydrolysis produce far lower emissions (natural burials under about 10kg CO2 equivalent, per PlanetMark analysis).