William Purves urges govt to legalise greener funeral options
It stated that today’s typical crematorium will send between 160 kg and 190 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere for each cremation it carries out, which is roughly equivalent of driving a car for 470 miles
William Purves funeral directors has urged the government to invest in and legalise greener cremation options as burial and flame cremation is causing scarcity of ground, and increased energy costs.
It stated that today’s typical crematorium will send between 160 kg and 190 kg of CO2 into the atmosphere for each cremation it carries out, which is roughly equivalent of driving a car for 470 miles.
In Scotland, currently only burial or flame cremation are the two options available to families. The company suggested alternative options for people to have an eco-friendly funeral.
It suggests water cremation, also known as resomation, aquamation or bio cremation and is an alternative form of cremation that doesn’t use flame to break down body tissue to a fine ash.
This method of cremation uses water with an alkaline solution, moderate levels of heat and pressure, in a cremation chamber taking around 3-4 hours for an average adult.
Compared with flame cremation, water uses lesser energy and contributes to lowered carbon footprint and it’s perceived by many as being more “gentle”
The Scottish government said it wanted to allow water cremation and would be launching a consultation on the issue.
Another option which was suggested but is not yet available in the UK is human composting.
The company said that it can help those who want a more eco-friendly funeral whether that’s a fully net zero event or one that reflects the values of their loved one.
It already helps families make greener choices by choosing environmentally friendly coffins, caskets and urns, to reduce the number of mourners attending a funeral or using technology to offer live stream alternatives.
It said: “As funeral directors, we are excited about the possibilities that science and technology can offer and keen to invest in the future. We urge the Scottish Government to speed up, and possibly widen the remit, of their proposed consultation.”
