Hedgehog Company recently conducted a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study for Coöperatie DELA, the largest funeral care provider and insurer in the Netherlands, to determine the environmental impact of various methods of disposal of human bodies. Read more about the results in this article.
The different methods of disposal of a human body
The disposal of human bodies includes all actions taken with and on the body after the passing. There are various methods to do this, and the Dutch Funeral Services Act dictates which methods are allowed in the Netherlands. This act is soon to be revised, where sustainability will be considered as well.
In the study for DELA, we investigated the environmental impact of the following common methods of disposal of human bodies:
-Burial ("traditional" burial in a cemetery)
-Cremation (gas-fired cremation oven)
-Cremation (electric cremation oven)
-Natural burial (burial in a natural setting, where the grave will not be exhumed)
And these methods, not yet allowed in the Netherlands:
-Alkaline hydrolysis/resomation (dissolving the body in a substance with a high pH value, usually potassium hydroxide dissolved in hot water)
-Human composting (converting the body into compost through a controlled decomposition process)
We looked at the environmental impact of all methods in the following four phases:
-Preparation phase: this includes all steps prior to the actual process of the disposal of a human body
-Process phase: this phase begins with the decomposition of the body and ends when the remains are ready to be transferred to their final destination.
-Third phase: the final destination of the remains, depending on the chosen method of disposal.
-Final phase: possible recycling/reuse of materials that are recovered (through recycling processes).
The environmental impact of the various methods
Contribution to climate change
Conducting an LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) involves studying different forms of environmental impact. These impacts are assessed by looking at what are known as impact categories.
The most well-known impact category is Contribution to Climate Change, where impacts are measured in amounts of CO2 equivalents. This is the standard measure used to express quantities of greenhouse gas emissions.
What is the environmental impact of different funeral methods when looking at this category, Contribution to Climate Change? Gas cremation appears to have the largest environmental impact, and natural burial the smallest.
Gas Cremation: 181 kg-CO2 eq.
Burial (stone monument): 120 kg CO2 eq.
Resomation: 118 kg-CO2 eq.
Human Composting: 47 kg CO2 eq. per composting cycle
Electric Cremation: 45 kg CO2 eq.
Natural Burial: 40 kg CO2 eq.
Impact in other impact categories
Besides contributing to climate change, this study also looked at 17 other impact categories.
The environmental impacts of the different funeral methods vary at each phase, and individual choices, such as opting for a steel versus a stone monument or choosing whether or not to use an urn, also contribute to the scale of environmental impact.
Below, we highlight the key insights concerning different funeral methods.
Natural Burial
Natural burial generally has the smallest impact in many of the chosen impact categories, except in the category of "land use." This is due to the large area allocated per person, and because the grave peace, and thus the impact, is perpetual. A natural grave is bought once and then exists in perpetuity, unlike a traditional grave.
A notable finding is the significant contribution of a physical GPS marker (used to locate the grave) to the total environmental impact. Although this GPS marker constitutes only a small part of the entire method, the materials required for it make a significant environmental contribution.
Burial
The environmental impact of burial mainly occurs during the preparation and disposal phases. The production of the coffin and gravestone are the primary environmental factors.
In the production of the grave monument, the impact is particularly notable in the categories of Climate Change, Ionizing Radiation, and Particulate Matter Formation. The production of the coffin scores high in Marine Eutrophication, Freshwater Ecotoxicity, and Water Use.
The grave peace contributes minimally. During the grave peace, there is only an impact in terms of land use and Contribution to Climate Change. If the grave monument is recycled, it reduces the environmental impact. This is referred to as a negative environmental load. Recycling the grave monument can save raw materials in a subsequent life cycle, thereby creating a positive environmental impact.
Cremation
The type of oven fuel significantly determines the environmental impact of a cremation. The burning of natural gas contributes significantly to categories such as Climate Change and Fossil Resource Scarcity.
Electric cremation has a significantly smaller impact. By using (green) electricity instead of natural gas, the impact on categories such as Global Warming and Fossil Fuel Scarcity is greatly reduced.
Cremation also results in a negative environmental impact, thus a positive impact on the environment, as metals can be recovered and recycled. This includes, for example, metal parts that have been placed in the body after a bone fracture.
Resomation
In resomation, the wool shroud turns out to have a significant environmental impact. An alternative is a shroud made of PLA; polylactic acid. This material can also be broken down in the resomation machine and has a significantly lower environmental impact. Another significant contribution to the environmental impact arises from the materials/electronic components of the resomation machine.
Human composting
Human Composting In human composting, the materials of the composting machine are the main contributors to the environmental impact. The impact primarily comes from the electronic components, of which the machine contains about 35 kg.
In human composting, metals can also be separated from the remains. By recycling these metals, the production of new metals is spared, and here too, we see a negative environmental load.
How did we conduct this study?
We calculated the impact of various methods of disposal of a human body through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study. An LCA evaluates the total environmental impact from the extraction of raw materials to production, all transportation, use, and ultimate disposal.
In this case, we looked at the impact associated with disposal of an average deceased person in the Netherlands. This is the functional unit of this study; in every LCA, such a unit is determined to frame the environmental impact you want to calculate.
We conducted this LCA study in accordance with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards, using SimaPro software, the ReCiPe-2016 methodology, and the Ecoinvent database v3.8.
The case: Coöperatie DELA
Coöperatie DELA is the largest funeral care provider and insurer in the Netherlands, and sustainability is a key pillar for the company. DELA wanted to assess and compare the environmental effects of existing and potentially future methods of funeral care through this study. An LCA allows results to be communicated quantitatively, both internally and more broadly to the funeral industry.
To communicate the results of an LCA study externally, according to ISO 1044 and ISO 14071, an organisation must organise a panel review. Hedgehog Company did this together with DELA and external experts.
Read everything about an LCA panel review and how to set up this panel here: https://www.hhc.earth/knowledge-base/lca-panel-review-all-information-you-need
