Dutch living coffin makes it into TIME's best inventions list
Loop's biodegradable, moss-lined coffin made from mushrooms and hemp fibers has been recognized as one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2025.
Published on October 10, 2025
© Loop Biotech
Team IO+ selects and features the most important news stories on innovation and technology, carefully curated by our editors.
Loop's biodegradable mushroom and hemp fiber coffins, named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2025, are transforming the funeral industry by offering a sustainable alternative to traditional burials that can harm the environment. Since launching in 2020, the Netherlands-based company has facilitated over 2,500 eco-friendly burials, including the first in the U.S. this summer.
Securing a spot on TIME's list of Best Inventions is a significant achievement, highlighting the innovation and potential impact of Loop's Living Cocoon. Bob Hendrikx, CEO and co-founder, expressed his excitement, noting that the coffin is designed to 'actively enrich nature, even after we're gone'.
The Living Cocoon: a gift to the Earth
The Loop Living Cocoon is crafted from upcycled hemp fiber inoculated with mycelia fungi, which actively break down the materials and integrate into the soil, enriching it and fostering new life. According to TIME, the cocoon is designed to 'actively enrich nature, even after we’re gone'. Traditional burials can leach pollutants into the soil and groundwater, making the Living Cocoon a welcome alternative, especially considering that 68% of Americans are reportedly interested in green funerals.
From Dragons' Den to TIME's Best Inventions
Loop Biotech's journey has been marked by significant milestones. The company, founded in 2020, quickly gained traction, securing a €1 million investment after a successful pitch on Dragons' Den with serial entrepreneurs Shawn Harris and Pieter Schoen. In March 2025, Loop Biotech launched a crowdfunding campaign aiming to raise €1.5 million for international expansion and commercialization, which successfully closed a few weeks later. The company can currently produce 500 living coffins per month, each taking about a week to make.
Loop Biotech was founded in 2020 in Delft, Netherlands, with a vision to bring sustainability to the funeral industry. Hendrikx's inspiration stems from a desire to create living buildings and products that enrich nature. As Hendrikx puts it, Loop Biotech is about 'enriching nature,' and the Living Cocoon is a means to that end.