An urn made of mushrooms and hemp, it is the new invention of Eindhovener Bob Hendrikx. In 2022 he already came up with the ‘living’ coffin and now an urn that dissolves when you put it in the ground. A new environmentally friendly way of cremation so that after death the deceased person’s remains merge into nature.
The urn, also called Loop Earthrise is one of the new products from Delft-based Loop Biotech. “Most people nowadays choose cremation and so we were asked if we would also make a soluble urn. With the Loop Earthrise, we were able to realise that”, Bob Hendrikx explains.
As with the organic coffin, the urn is made of mushrooms and hemp. “This ensures that the organic urn feels soft on the outside, but is strong enough”.
New life
A plant can be placed in the lid on top of the urn. If buried in a natural cemetery or in one’s own garden, the urn will be absorbed into nature within 45 days. A tree or plant can then grow out of it, ensuring that new life will start to emerge where the organic urn is buried.
That is not the only function, according to Loop Biotech. For example, the white urn can also be painted, and if it is not buried, the urn will be preserved indefinitely.
At the plant in Delft, it takes seven days to grow the raw materials for the urn. The same goes for the already developed coffin and for the bier, which, like the urn, is also new.
Earthrise
The urn is available for €196,80, and there is a special story behind that amount, according to Hendrikx. “€196,80 refers to the photograph Earthrise, taken by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. In my opinion, it is one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century. It also led to the first Earth Day, in 1970”.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
