Eco-Friendly & Green Funerals
Environmentally friendly woodland burials for your loved ones.
For families wishing to honour a loved one’s care for the environment, our eco-friendly funerals in Croydon provide a natural and sustainable alternative to traditional burials. Working in partnership with JC Atkinson, a Green Apple Award-winning supplier recognised by The Green Organisation, we offer a beautiful range of ethically sourced, biodegradable coffins.
For families wishing to honour a loved one’s care for the environment, our eco-friendly funerals in Croydon provide a natural and sustainable alternative to traditional burials. Working in partnership with JC Atkinson, a Green Apple Award-winning supplier recognised by The Green Organisation, we offer a beautiful range of ethically sourced, biodegradable coffins.
Natural burials allow your loved one to rest peacefully within the landscape, often becoming part of the surrounding woodland over time. Services can be religious or non-religious, held at sites such as Clandon Wood or Eden Valley Woodland Burial Grounds. Our experienced team can advise on suitable memorials, including tree plantings or environmentally sensitive markers, ensuring a lasting and meaningful tribute.
Sustainability
In recent years, more and more people have sought ways to make their lives—and even their deaths—more sustainable. A green burial, also known as a natural burial or eco-burial, is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burials or cremations.
This type of burial aims to minimise the environmental impact of a funeral by avoiding embalming fluids, non-biodegradable materials, and other practices that harm the planet. If you’re considering a green burial in the UK, this guide will walk you through the essential steps and considerations to help you arrange a meaningful but sustainable farewell.
Sustainability
In recent years, more and more people have sought ways to make their lives—and even their deaths—more sustainable. A green burial, also known as a natural burial or eco-burial, is an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burials or cremations.
This type of burial aims to minimise the environmental impact of a funeral by avoiding embalming fluids, non-biodegradable materials, and other practices that harm the planet. If you’re considering a green burial in the UK, this guide will walk you through the essential steps and considerations to help you arrange a meaningful but sustainable farewell.
Understanding Green Burial Principles
A green burial is rooted in the principles of simplicity, sustainability and returning to the earth naturally. The key aspects include:
- Biodegradable Materials: Green burials use biodegradable coffins, shrouds, or urns made from materials like wicker, bamboo, banana leaf, cardboard, or cotton. These materials break down naturally, allowing the body to return to the earth with minimal environmental impact.
- No Embalming: Embalming uses chemicals that can leach into the soil, so it’s avoided in green burials. The body is allowed to decompose naturally, which aligns with the cycle of life and death in nature.
- Natural Grave Markers: Instead of headstones or large monuments, green burials often use natural markers like a tree, a bush, or a simple wooden plaque. In some cases, no marker is used at all, allowing the burial site to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
- Conservation: Green burials can support conservation efforts. Some burial sites are maintained as nature reserves, where the burial fees contribute to the upkeep and protection of the land, and often woodlands at reserves
Tree pod burials
The concept of burial pods under trees is increasingly becoming one of the top eco-burial options. But what do tree pod burials involve exactly? And how much does a tree pod burial cost in the UK?
Tree pods adhere to the motto “life never stops”. By recognising that human beings are part of “nature’s cycle of transformation”, the idea of tree pod burials is to allow the person who has passed to be buried in the ancient form of a biodegradable egg pod. If a body is buried, it is placed in the foetal position to represent rebirth, while tree pod burial ashes are placed in smaller pods. The pods are then buried into the ground, with a tree planted above them to create a memorial.
In the UK, the main project exploring the concept of burial pods under trees is Capsula Mundi. The aim of this project is to envision a different approach to the way we think about death, and to provide a place for family and friends to continue caring for the tree as it grows. As more tree pod burials begin to take place, cemeteries will acquire a new look, growing into vibrant woodlands and sacred forests.
How much does a Tree pod burial cost?
So how much does a tree pod burial cost in the UK? While the Capsula Mundi biodegradable urn is available for purchase, their tree pods for burials are still in the concept phase, and the founders are working on both the scientific and legal aspects of the process. However, it is likely that the project would be deemed as acceptable in countries that allow green burials.
Loop Living Cocoon™
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- Certified for natural & traditional burial and cremation
Want To Book an Eco Funeral Service?
For those seeking an elegant, sustainable, or alternative approach to saying goodbye, Rowland Brothers – trusted funeral directors in Croydon – are here to guide you with care, compassion and professionalism
Call us: 01883 623 067
Email us: info@rowlandbrothers.com
