Table: How Your Funeral Impacts the Environment

Embalming

Chemical embalming involves the use of formaldehyde, which is highly toxic and a known carcinogen. Buried embalming fluids give rise to soil pollution, impacting soil health.

Cornell University’s Mary Woodsen estimates that more than four million gallons of embalming fluid are used in US burials each year.

Casket

Heavy wooden caskets are often treated with chemicals and often contain metal and plastic fittings. This makes burial resource intensive and potentially soil polluting.

The same Cornell study estimates that 20 million board feet of hardwoods and 64,500 tons of steel are buried in the US each year.

Tomb lining

Caskets are often placed in an outer container, which will typically be made of materials like concrete.

1.6 million tons of concrete are buried in the US each year, according to the study.

Grave marking

Grave markings vary, but often include concrete, metal or plastic elements, adding non-renewable materials to an already resource intensive process and contributing to the estimated figures above.

Land usage

Traditional burial involves the unsustainable consumption of urban land.

Cemetery maintenance

Some cemeteries use pesticides to maintain lawns, reducing biodiversity and potentially leading to soil pollution.

Water consumption is also an issue. At one point, the biggest cemetery in the US was using 293 million gallons of drinkable water each year.

Cremation process

Cremation is a fossil fuel-powered process, which releases CO2 and other emissions.

The average cremation produces 535 lbs of CO2, equivalent to a 600+ mile car journey.

Transport

Use of vehicles throughout the funeral process, from transporting the materials used in traditional burial to transporting the body, adds to the emissions involved in traditional processes themselves.