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energy
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Later this year, water cremation services will become widely available in the UK. The goal is to offer a more environmentally friendly method of dying, where traditional burials and fire cremation fall short. How does it work?
We’ve all heard about ways to ‘live sustainability,’ but what about dying sustainably?
It may be a morbid topic, but even in death, our environmental impact continues to grow. At present, most countries’ end-of-life services are limited to two primary options: traditional burials or fire cremations.
Both of these methods have their ecological downsides.
Traditional coffins can be crafted from wood sourced from unsustainable forests in order to meet high demands. This fuels deforestation levels and requires the use of wood treatment chemicals such as formaldehyde.
They are also typically fitted with metal and plastic embellishments that do not biodegrade, remaining underground for hundreds of years. This can lead to groundwater contamination.
On the other hand, fire cremation is a fuel-heavy process. A single cremation releases around 400kg of CO2 into our atmosphere, which is the emissions equivalent of a 1650km car journey.
Additional fumes from mercury found in tooth fillings and other toxic emissions from burnt prosthetics and bone cement are released during this process.
