According to the 2024 Global Consumer Insights Pulse Survey, 50% of global consumers have adopted an eco-friendlier lifestyle. As a result, they might recycle more, drive a hybrid vehicle, avoid fast fashion, or even adopt a plant-based diet.
Yet, most people don’t give a second thought to how their death will impact the environment. If you are committed to creating a more sustainable world, here are five eco-friendly options for your body after you die.
1. An Eco Casket
Standard burials aren’t one of the most environmentally friendly funeral options. After all, coffins are created from natural resources, such as wood or metal. Also, embalming fluids can leak into the groundwater and release chemicals into the soil.
What’s more, the planet is running out of burial space, and digging graves at double to triple depth may cause the release of toxic gases. Yet, you can have a more sustainable burial by choosing an eco-casket made from cardboard or eco-friendly metal.
2. Don’t Embalm
As mentioned, embalming can damage the planet. If you have your heart set on a burial or your religion requires it, you can plan a green burial. For instance, you must skip the embalming process to prevent chemicals from seeping into the soil.
Embalming often isn’t required for most burials, and the only exception is if a deceased body is repatriated. However, if the embalming process is skipped, loved ones are advised to visit the body within a few days of a person’s death.
3. A Biodegradable Urn
If you would prefer cremation, a biodegradable urn is an environmentally-friendly choice. Many designs are available to match different personalities, and the urn is made from all-natural paper components that feature zero plastic or metal.
4. Human Composting
Human composting might soon become an option for millions of people in the future. The world’s first Recompose facility opened in 2021, which aims to turn a human body into a pot of soil. The process requires the body to be placed in a metal container with straw, wood chips, and alfalfa for four to six weeks.
At the end of the process, your loved ones will receive a pot of soil from taking home, which they can use to grow a tree, flowers, or plants. The process could reportedly save more than a tonne of carbon in comparison to traditional funeral options.
5. A Sea Burial
Sea burials have traditionally been performed for naval officers, Vikings, pirates, and other lovers of the ocean. Yet, it is becoming an increasingly popular option for many. To protect the environment, you may need to be dropped into the ocean in a natural casket or an eco-friendly burial shroud. Also, your ashes could be mixed with sustainable concrete to develop artificial reefs to support marine life.
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