A truly eco-friendly funeral?

With a conscientious society who are increasingly favouring sustainability and environmentally friendly options, funeral providers Golden Leaves has attempted to move with the times by offering “green” funeral packages, while JC Atkinson & Son released an “eco-friendly Reflections” range.

It was held that neither company could continue to advertise in its current form as their “Green” and “eco-friendly” claims could not be substantiated.

As well as the offer of natural and biodegradable MDF coffins, Golden Leaves promote their whole funerals based around environmentally friendly principles, with claims that the entire carbon footprint of a funeral service can be offset through donating to rainforest conservation and replacement tree planting in conservation areas.

JC Atkinson & Son said they had commissioned a life cycle analysis of coffins which demonstrated that the type of coffins that they sold, made from chipboard and MDF, would result in lower carbon and other emissions when cremated, compared to cardboard or paperboard coffins.

However, ASA found that both adverts were misleading.  They considered that consumers would consider the “green” claims to mean that the coffins that they were buying would have either no impact or an overall beneficial impact on the environment.  They considered that consumers would anticipate this to cover the full lifecycle of the coffin, from manufacture and distribution through to burial or cremation.  ASA found the claims to be misleading as the evidence provided did not demonstrate that there is a net neutral or positive impact to the environment over the full lifecycle of the coffins in question.  If the “green” claims do not relate to the full lifecycle, the advert should specify its limits.   ASA advised that unqualified claims could mislead if they omit significant information and absolute claims must be supported by a high level of substantiation.  ASA found the adverts to be lacking and as such, held that they must not appear in their current form.

Whilst not legally binding, clients often wish to include their funeral wishes within their Will.  If you wish to have a truly eco-friendly funeral, the above rulings provide food for thought.  It may be wise to do your own research regarding eco-friendly providers in advance of your death, or arrange a pre-paid funeral plan, to ensure that your wishes are truly met.

Some ideas that could contribute to a “greener” funeral, which you may wish to include in a letter of wishes are:

• car sharing by family and friends to and from the funeral – this allegedly has one of the biggest impacts on co2 emissions at a funeral;
• use of electric funeral vehicles;
• burial at a natural burial ground which does not need constant maintenance (lawn mowing and treatment produces Co2)
• avoidance of single-use materials such as metals, and plastic. For example, foam supports in floral tributes.

If you would like to discuss your will or your letter of wishes in further detail, do not hesitate to contact your usual Wealth Preservation team member for assistance.