Green Funeral Trends are on the Horizon, Can You Accept an Eco-friendly Casket?

As Asia's population ages, the discussion and demand for green burials have grown in recent years. The 2024 Asia Funeral & Cemetery Expo & Conference (AFE) in Hong Kong has organized a special conference on green burials and invited speakers from the industry to give presentations.

Carl Emerson, Director of Ecogreen Singapore Pte Ltd, discussed the trend of green burials in Asia and presented the Singapore government's Green Plan 2030, which includes city nature, energy reset, sustainable living, green economy and resilient future.

He pointed out that Singapore's national carbon footprint management will increase by more than 25% in the next two years, and the rate of green manufacturing design and implementation is a staggering 400%.

"Singapore is therefore moving towards a greener environment and more sustainable living on many fronts. In a way, it can be said that it is moving towards becoming a greener country. In the case of the funeral industry, we may be the last sector to respond to this change, but our company has also started to produce eco-friendly products for the funeral industry."

According to a survey conducted in Singapore in 2021, he mentioned that 31% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably sourced goods and services, and another 36% use sustainable goods or services instead of their otherwise usual choices.

The Eco Caskets Myth: Are Cardboard Caskets Cheaper?

During the Expo, the cardboard caskets exhibited by Singapore's Ecogreen Pte Ltd attracted considerable interest from visitors. In an interview, the founder of Unity Casket, William Tan, stated that the concept of paper caskets was primarily developed in response to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"At that time, traditional caskets were constrained by limitations in production within their country of origin and the impact of border control measures. Consequently, the industry began to investigate alternative solutions, given concerns about the potential undersupply of caskets."

He asserted that the cardboard caskets manufactured by his company are designed and tested to meet the standards set by the funeral industry. These caskets can withstand weights of up to 250kg and can be used for up to seven days. Currently, approximately five funerals per month employ paper caskets.

“Traditional caskets are suitable for burial, but paper caskets are more time efficient than traditional caskets and have been tested to reduce cremation time by around 30 minutes. This can also effectively address the problem of lack of crematoria for cremation.”

It is a common misconception that paper caskets are cheaper than traditional caskets due to the raw materials used. In this regard, William Tan observed that paper caskets are still manufactured by hand, resulting in a cost comparable to traditional caskets.

"The price of the caskets ranges from approximately SGD 300 to SGD 600, with the final cost varying depending on the consumer's specific requirements, such as the desired design of the casket."

The Asia Funeral & Cemetery Expo & Conference (AFE) Hong Kong, organized by Brilliant Vertical Exhibition and supported by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) in May.

Read More》【AFE Hong Kong 2024】Exploring the Funeral Industry's Journey of Transformation

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