Modern Funeral Options Emerge Across UK

UK residents are increasingly choosing modern, eco-friendly funeral options over traditional casket burials and cremations. New choices, from artificial reefs to space burials, are available for final resting places.

Credit: AURA FLIGHTS

More than 400 cemeteries across the UK now offer green burials, with the industry seeing growth. Scotland recently became the first part of the UK to introduce aquamations, sometimes called "boil in the bag" funerals.

Louise Winter, founder of independent London funeral director Poetic Endings, noted that individuals want their death to reflect their life. If a person was environmentally conscious, natural burial offers a suitable choice.

Even with traditional cremation, many options exist for ashes. Linda Tagg and her husband, David Tagg, both avid travellers and divers, found a unique option when Linda Tagg was diagnosed with cancer.

David Tagg said he would fulfil her wishes, regardless of cost. The couple learned about Solace Reef, a company that transforms remains into part of an artificial reef off the coast of Weymouth.

Solace Reef seals ashes inside a stone memorial, which is then submerged. This stone becomes a habitat for soft corals, fish, and lobsters, thriving in the underwater cemetery.

David Tagg stated this seemed like the "sensible thing to do" for them as divers and nature lovers. Linda Tagg passed away in 2019 at 65, and her ashes were set in one stone.

Her father, Maurice, who passed years earlier, was set in another. The stones were sunk, with Linda Tagg's facing south and Maurice Tagg's facing north.

Later, Linda Tagg's mother, Audrey, also requested her ashes be set in a stone and sunk to sit corner to corner with her daughter and husband. David Tagg plans to join them, facing southwest.

He described it as becoming a "sea life reserve," serving a purpose rather than just scattering ashes. Solace Reef now has 35 stones in its artificial reef, fostering marine flora and fauna.

Sean Duncan, founder of Solace Reef, observed that people desire new, creative ways to mark their passing. He added that the solace reef offers "giving life after a life lived," which resonates with people.

While some prefer loved ones' remains nearby, others look further afield. Jane Berwick, 59, shared that her husband, Mark, died suddenly and had expressed a wish not to remain in a cupboard.

Living in North Norfolk with minimal light pollution, the couple enjoyed stargazing. Jane Berwick thought it would be "lovely to send them into space," fulfilling a wish to avoid being kept in a cupboard.

Months later, Mark's ashes were collected by Aura Flights, a UK-based company. They were loaded into a capsule, attached to a hydrogen balloon, and carried to the edge of space.

The ashes were gently scattered into the stratosphere, 32,500 metres above the ground. Mark's ashes will drift for up to a year, eventually returning as rain and snow, becoming part of nature.

Jane Berwick found comfort "looking up at the stars and thinking he's out there somewhere." She did not want untended graves for Mark, believing he would be "thrilled to know he's not sitting in a cupboard."

This process costs £3,950, in addition to cremation and funeral expenses. However, Aura Flights' services have grown in popularity since starting in 2017.

Samantha Richardson, General Manager of Aura Flights, stated the company recently launched its 350th flight. The company receives more inquiries from people planning their deaths well in advance, some in their 30s and 40s.

Richardson noted a general shift from traditional burial practices towards more personalised or modern options. She suggested it becomes "a celebration of their life," connecting with their personality and way of life.

Traditional burial methods, while familiar, present environmental challenges. The Green Burial Council estimates traditional funerals in the US consume 16.2 million litres of embalming fluid, 20 million board feet of hardwood boards, 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, and 1.6 million tons of concrete annually.

This substantial environmental impact drives many towards green alternatives. A recent National Funeral Directors Association survey indicated over 60% of families would consider green funeral options.

In a natural burial, the body is placed directly in the ground, allowed to decay naturally, and becomes part of the soil. Biodegradable options, like linen shrouds or wicker baskets, replace hardwood caskets.

Winter said natural burials have a "very different feel," with a "raw" quality of returning to Earth in the purest way. She believes this attracts people to the practice.

Natural burials also address practical issues, such as limited space in London's traditional cemeteries. Outside major cities, fields can be converted into natural burial grounds.

Winter mentioned some farmers now offer parts of their land for natural burials. This often makes natural burials significantly cheaper and better for the environment.

Rosie Inman-Cook, manager of the Natural Death Centre, described a proper natural burial as a "win-win-win." It provides meaningful funerals, benefits the planet, and protects countryside areas for wildlife.

However, the rise in green funerals has led to variability among sites. Inman-Cook cautioned buyers about "opportunists" who disregard the ethos, accept embalmed bodies, and offer poor service.

Natural burials require containers that break down quickly, but not all families prefer simple shrouds. Previously, biodegradable coffins were often imported willow or bamboo, incurring environmental costs.

A modern solution is the Loop Living Cocoon, a coffin grown from living mushrooms. Recycled hemp fibre is combined with mycelium, the root-like structure of fungi, and grown into a strong, biodegradable coffin in seven days.

Once buried, the coffin decomposes completely in 45 days, enriching the soil and supporting decomposition. Bob Hendrikx, inventor of the Loop Living Cocoon and founder of Loop Biotech, views it as a "logical option."

Hendrikx stated that when placed in soil, they enrich the planet, rather than harming it. He called the non-logical option "polluting the planet that you're leaving behind for your children."

This eco-friendly aspect has been successful, with Loop Biotech selling coffins to over 4,000 families, including "a few hundred" in the UK. Hendrikx noted people want to "leave the world a better place."

Beyond environmental appeal, Hendrikx identified a human aspect to the mushroom coffin's success. Unlike hard wooden coffins, the Loop Living Cocoon is soft and "almost furry," with a texture likened to brie rind.

Hendrikx suggested it is "something you might want to cuddle," which can be healing for the grieving process. He often hears stories of people "stroking the coffin, almost petting it."

Scotland recently legalised alkaline hydrolysis, also known as "boil in the bag" funerals. This process dissolves bodies into a sterile liquid that is washed down drains.

During alkaline hydrolysis, the body is wrapped in a biodegradable shroud, often silk or wool, and placed in a pressurised steel chamber. The tank is then filled with a liquid: 95% water and 5% alkaline chemical, like potassium hydroxide.

The body is heated to 150°C under pressure, preventing actual boiling. Over three to four hours, this replicates natural decomposition, which typically takes decades in a coffin.

The resulting liquid is cooled, treated, and poured into drains for processing with normal wastewater. This process has been legal for several years in countries including Canada, the US, and Ireland.

It may take six to nine months for the first centres to open in Scotland. However, funeral directors are preparing to offer the service, which is considered more environmentally friendly than traditional cremation.

Kindly Earth, with exclusive rights to produce alkaline hydrolysis equipment in Scotland, reported families describe the process as "gentler" than cremation.

Helen Chandler, General Manager of Kindly Earth, emphasised giving families more choice, acknowledging not everyone will choose hydrolysis. She noted families have different values and priorities.

Chandler added that individuals planning their own funerals seek options aligned with their preferences. Hydrolysis provides this additional choice.

In England and Wales, the Law Commission is reviewing a legal framework for new funerary practices. This could enable "boil in the bag" funerals and other eco-friendly options like "human composting."

While not yet legal in the UK, human composting, or terramation, is a growing alternative to cremation in the US. The body is placed in a vessel with wood chips, alfalfa, straw, and other biodegradable items.

For 30 days, the vessel is kept warm with oxygen flow, allowing microbes to rapidly transform the body into soil. After another 30 days of resting and cooling, the body becomes about one cubic metre of rich compost.

This compost is then returned to the family. Brienna Smith, funeral director at Return Home in Washington State, noted its appeal stems from alignment with values.

Smith described terramation as gentle, participatory, and rooted in ecology. Families often place the soil in meaningful locations, such as family land, gardens, forests, or conservation areas.

Some use the remains in houseplants, while others participate in reforestation projects or nourish trees planted in a loved one's honour. Terramation also uses about 87% less energy than conventional cremation or burial.

This energy efficiency appeals to environmentally conscious mourners. Smith stated Return Home has composted loved ones for over 700 families since opening, with the practice growing.

If the Law Commission's new bill, expected in a few months, opens the door for human composting in the UK, it may become a popular alternative.

Smith believes more people are exploring alternative practices due to deeper questions about impact, meaning, and transparency. She also cited growing environmental awareness and a desire for personal rituals.

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• The UK is seeing a rise in modern, eco-friendly, and personalised funeral options beyond traditional burials and cremations.

• New choices include artificial reefs made from remains, space burials, and natural burials using biodegradable materials like mushroom coffins.

• Scotland recently legalised alkaline hydrolysis, also known as "boil in the bag" funerals, which dissolves bodies into a sterile liquid.

Source: DAILYMAIL