This coffin is made of mushrooms instead of wood. The material can turn decomposed human bodies into essential nutrients for the plant, the company says.

The coffins are made of mycelium, the underground root of the mushroom, the company said. The coffin cushion is made of moss to stimulate decomposition.

"Mycelium is nature’s greatest recycler," said Bob Hendrikx, creator of this living coffin. It is always looking for food and transforming them into plant nutrients. The mycelium also eats the toxins and turns them into nutrients. Mycelium has been used in Chernobyl, Russia, to clean the soil after the nuclear disaster there. And the same goes for the burial sites of the deceased because the soil in these places is extremely polluted and the mycelium is particularly fond of metals, oils and microplastics.

In the company’s laboratory located at the Technical University of Delft, the Netherlands, researchers mix mycelium with small pieces of wood and press it into boards for coffins. After 1 week, the mycelium grows through the wood pieces, then the coffin is dried and durable enough to hold 200kg.

After burial, these boards are under the impact of underground water and will decay within 30 to 45 days. Human remains will decompose in about 2-3 years, instead of 10-20 years if buried in normal coffins.

So far, Loop Company has sold 10 coffins for 1,500 euros, about 1,760 USD / piece.

When the living coffin is in the ground, people can even water it on top of it, sow seeds, and the deceased can become the tree their own wishes, Hendrikx said.