Green Funerals

There are increasingly more people that wish to have a more eco friendly or 'green' funeral. By choosing to have a funeral that is 'green' you can allow those in attendance to reflect and perhaps make changes themselves. Here at Tom Owen and Son, we are always looking for ways to make the way we do things and the funerals we offer more 'green'. Some of the ways we can reduce our impact on the world include:

Coffins

Opting for a coffin made from biodegradable materials such as cardboard, willow or bamboo is a great way to minimise our impact on our world. We have selected reputable coffin suppliers to ensure we are working with the best. We have chosen to offer wooden handles on all of our veneer coffins to reduce our plastic consumption however brass effect plastic handles can be sourced if required.

You can see more coffin options here.

Transport

Another way to consider the impact on your funeral and the environment is how far you and other mourners have to travel to the venue. Choosing a local crematorium or burial ground is a great way to do this. It also works to encourage car sharing. We will consider an electric hearse and limo when our current models are due to be replaced.

Burial

Burial is a greener choice in comparison to cremation as the mercury, dioxin and carbon monoxide emissions are eliminated. There are a small number of woodland burial sites located within the Conwy borough.

Other environmental friendly ideas

We encourage funeral stationery to be shared between mourners where possible rather than printing one per person. We also opt for recycled paper.

We do not routinely embalm. Formaldehyde that is used within embalming can leak into the ground after burial.

We recommend considering picking flowers from your garden.

We avoid cellophane in our floral arrangements and choose more eco options where possible.