1. The question behind the question
How do you make a traditional, environmentally harmful product fundamentally more sustainable? Teal develops biological coffins from mycelium; a natural material that returns to the soil. Their ambition was clear: to move away from wood, glues, and chemical residues and develop a cradle-to-grave solution that contributes to soil restoration. For this step, Teal was looking not only for grants but also for a partner who could help them think about the right approach.
‍2. The path we chose – ExplorationThe application of mycelium substrate in coffins was radically new. Grant support provided the opportunity to carefully assess technical feasibility, circularity, and market potential.
‍3. The translation into actionPlus Projects positioned the development as an R&D project within the MIT R&D scheme. We translated the circularity objectives, material innovation, and supply chain collaboration with Setas into a clearly defined grant application.
‍4. From vision to accelerationWith the awarded MIT R&D grant, Teal was able to start developing a fully circular coffin: less CO₂, fewer chemicals, lower cost, and potential applicability for multiple waste streams.
‍5. The Plus in this ProjectWe helped Teal accelerate their mycelium innovation with the right grant, by making their innovation both eligible for funding and feasible to implement.