Environmental funerals are on the up – but are they really as sustainable as their providers say?
“I want to become a pearl when I die - or a reef,” said Madeleine Sutcliffe. Aged 80 and suffering from lung cancer, Sutcliffe was given six months to live in January.
Adam, Sutcliffe’s son, is enthusiastic. “I don’t think a pearl is possible but if mum’s ashes are made into an artificial reef, I’ll be able to dive to it,” he said. “Given how I feel when I dive - serene, calm and meditative - a reef is the perfect environment to remember mum.”
Until recently, wanting an environmental funeral was a radical concept. Now, it’s increasingly mainstream: a recent report by the National Funeral Directors Association found over 60% of families said they would be interested in investigating green funeral options - up from 56% in 2021.
Even local councils are responding: the Association for Public Service Excellence recently found that over 61% of councils across the UK already provide natural or woodland burial grounds, or plan to do so in the near future - up from 44% in 2018.
