The Carbon Footprint of a Funeral: How Small Choices Can Make a Big Difference
As the planet warms, sustainability and carbon footprint is becoming an increasingly important consideration in our everyday lives, but what about at the end of life? Many people are beginning to ask an important question about this: what is the carbon footprint of a funeral?
While funerals are understandably centred around honouring a loved one, they also have an environmental impact. From the type of coffin chosen to whether someone is buried or cremated, every decision contributes to a funeral's carbon footprint.
Carbon emissions are released from both burial and cremation. A burial will result in slightly less carbon emissions than a cremation, however the vast majority of funerals are cremations, over 78%.
• For every gas cremation, approximately 245Kg of CO2 is released into the atmosphere
• A funeral service including travelling of mourners etc is estimated to be 400Kg of CO2
Carbon emissions totalling more than 154,000t of CO2 are released each year from cremations and funerals, equivalent of heating 56,000 homes in a town the size of Oxford, Cambridge or Carlisle.
A landmark 2023 report by Planet Mark examined the environmental impact of common funeral choices in the UK, helping both funeral professionals and families better understand which options have the greatest impact on the environment. Although the report focused specifically on coffins and body disposal methods—and did not include elements such as guest travel, flowers or the funeral service itself—it provides valuable guidance for anyone looking to arrange a more environmentally conscious funeral.
What contributes to a funeral's carbon footprint?
Many people assume that cremation or burial is the only factor that matters, but the reality is much more complex.
The report assessed a range of variables, including:
• Coffin materials
• Coffin linings
• Handles
• Packaging used during transportation
• Burial, cremation, natural burial and resomation
The findings showed that no single choice determines a funeral's overall environmental impact. Instead, the combination of these decisions creates the total carbon footprint. Even relatively small details, such as changing the type of handle or packaging, can reduce emissions.
Which coffins have the lowest environmental impact?
One of the clearest findings was that coffin materials make a significant difference.
Traditional mahogany veneer coffins with chipboard and MDF components were found to be among the most carbon-intensive options due to the materials used in their manufacture.
By comparison, lower-carbon alternatives included:
• Recycled cardboard coffins
• Cotton or wool shrouds
• Biodegradable bags (used for resomation)
• Simple natural materials, such as willow or bamboo.
The report also found that the accessories attached to a coffin can add to its environmental impact.
For example:
• Paper linings have a lower carbon footprint than polythene.
• Wooden and wicker handles produce fewer emissions than plastic handles.
• Cardboard packaging generates almost five times fewer emissions than bubble wrap, while eliminating unnecessary packaging altogether removes these emissions completely.
These individual choices may appear small, but together they can significantly reduce the overall carbon footprint of the funeral.
Is burial or cremation better for the environment?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but the report highlights important differences between the available options.
Natural burial
Natural burial produced the lowest operational carbon emissions of all the disposal methods assessed. Because natural burials avoid embalming chemicals and encourage natural decomposition, they also minimise many longer-term environmental impacts.
Where graves can be dug manually or using low-emission equipment, the carbon footprint becomes even smaller.
Traditional burial
Traditional burial also has relatively low immediate carbon emissions. However, over many decades the decomposition process can release greenhouse gases and nutrients into surrounding soils, with possible impacts on groundwater depending on local conditions.
Cremation
Cremation remains the most common choice in the UK, but the report found that natural gas cremation has the highest operational carbon emissions because of the large amount of energy required during the cremation process.
Electric cremation powered by renewable electricity offers a significantly lower-carbon alternative where available, while future technological developments could reduce emissions further.
Resomation
Resomation (also known as alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation) was found to have relatively low carbon emissions compared with traditional cremation.
However, because it is still an emerging technology, more research is needed to fully understand the environmental impacts associated with wastewater treatment and the chemicals used during the process.
The biggest surprise: what happens after the funeral
Perhaps the most surprising conclusion from the research wasn't about coffins or cremation at all.
The report estimated the environmental impact of visiting a loved one's memorial over a 20-year period and found that ongoing travel, flowers and memorial materials can generate substantially more carbon emissions than the funeral itself.
Regular journeys by car to a cemetery or memorial, combined with purchased flowers and memorial stones, can result in well over 300 kg of CO₂e, exceeding the emissions associated with any of the body disposal methods studied.
This finding reminds us that sustainability isn't only about the funeral day—it can also be influenced by the choices we make in the years that follow.
How to reduce the carbon footprint of a funeral
If you're planning a funeral and would like to make it as environmentally friendly as possible, there are several practical steps you can consider:
• Choose a recycled cardboard coffin, biodegradable coffin or natural shroud where appropriate.
• Select paper linings and wooden or wicker handles instead of plastic.
• Avoid unnecessary packaging wherever possible.
• Consider natural burial or lower-carbon alternatives such as electric cremation powered by renewable energy where available.
• Reduce unnecessary car journeys by car sharing, walking, cycling or using public transport when visiting memorial sites.
• Bring seasonal flowers from your own garden or reduce the number of purchased floral tributes.
• Discuss sustainable options with your funeral director, who can explain what environmentally friendly choices are available locally.
Every choice makes a difference
No funeral is completely carbon neutral, and every family's wishes and traditions are unique. However, this research demonstrates that thoughtful decisions—whether choosing a simpler coffin, selecting lower-impact materials or considering how memorials are visited in the future—can significantly reduce the environmental impact of saying goodbye.
Across the UK, where hundreds of thousands of funerals take place every year, these individual choices have the potential to make a meaningful collective difference. Choosing a more sustainable funeral isn't about compromising on dignity or respect; it's about creating a lasting legacy that reflects care not only for a loved one, but for future generations too.
