What Makes a Funeral Environmentally Friendly? A Green Funeral Checklist

Detailed Explanation

Families increasingly want a funeral that reflects environmental values, but "green funeral" isn't a single certified package. It's a spectrum of separate choices, each with its own trade-offs. This page brings those choices together in one place; each is covered in full depth on its own page, linked below. See the green funerals hub for the cluster's full knowledge base.

The choice with the biggest impact: burial or cremation method

• Natural burial: no embalming, a biodegradable coffin or shroud, and a grave marked by planting or a flat stone instead of a monument. See what a natural burial actually involves for how it works and how to choose a natural burial ground once you've decided.
• Water cremation (aquamation): commonly cited as using a fraction of flame cremation's energy, with no direct emissions from burning. Legal across Australia but only offered by a small number of providers as of 2026. See what water cremation involves and where it's available.
• Conventional burial or flame cremation with lighter choices: a family that isn't drawn to natural burial or aquamation can still meaningfully reduce impact through the coffin, monument, and embalming choices below, within an otherwise conventional arrangement. See can you have a green burial without using a dedicated natural burial ground for exactly what's still possible at an ordinary cemetery. For the underlying decision between burial and cremation generally, start at burial vs cremation: how to decide.
• Human composting (natural organic reduction): sometimes raised as the lowest-impact option of all, but it isn't currently legal anywhere in Australia, so it isn't a real choice yet, though it's covered in overseas media.

Coffin and shroud materials

Untreated timber, wicker, seagrass, cardboard, or a fabric shroud break down naturally and avoid the metals, varnishes, and adhesives in a finished hardwood or metal casket. This choice is available regardless of burial or cremation method: a biodegradable coffin can be used for a conventional cremation just as easily as for a natural burial. See choosing a coffin or casket for materials, and what can and can't be placed in a coffin if cremation is planned, since some materials and contents affect the process.

Embalming

Embalming is rarely required in Australia in the first place. It's typically only needed for extended delays, some repatriations, or specific circumstances, so skipping it is usually the default rather than a special request. The body is cared for with refrigeration instead. If it matters to you, say so explicitly at the first meeting with the funeral director, since standard processes can otherwise proceed by default.

Flowers, stationery, and gatherings

• Flowers. Locally grown, seasonal, or potted arrangements have a lighter footprint than imported or hot-house cut flowers, and donations-in-lieu remove the question entirely. See what flowers to send to a funeral for the options, and what to do with funeral flowers afterwards for pressing, donating, or composting arrangements already received.
• Notices and stationery. A digital notice, shared via an online memorial or social media, reaches more people than a printed newspaper notice and avoids the paper and ink entirely; see writing a funeral notice if a printed notice is still wanted alongside it.
• Transport and the gathering itself. Shared or electric transport for the immediate family, a venue within easy reach of most attendees, and simpler catering all reduce the day's overall footprint; none of these change what the funeral or service looks like in any way that matters to most mourners.

You don't have to choose all of them

None of these choices depends on any other. A family can choose a biodegradable coffin within an otherwise conventional cemetery burial, or hold a fully natural burial and still print a large notice run and serve an elaborate wake. Neither combination is "doing it wrong." Choose the elements that matter to your family and the person being remembered, and don't feel obliged to adopt every option to have made a meaningful choice.

Things to Consider

• Start with the choice that matters most to the person, not the longest list. One or two deliberate choices, say a biodegradable coffin and locally grown flowers, reflect values just as genuinely as adopting every option on this list.
• Ask early. Coffin material, embalming, and burial or cremation method all need to be decided at the first meeting with the funeral director, since they shape mortuary care and bookings from the outset.
• Availability varies by region. Natural burial grounds and water cremation facilities are concentrated near capital cities and larger regional centres. Check what's realistically available before building a plan around either.
• Cost is usually neutral or a modest saving, not a driver. See what a natural or green burial actually costs for the specific breakdown. The plot or crematorium fee itself is the biggest cost line and doesn't reliably favour either direction.

Common Mistakes

• Assuming a green funeral means natural burial or nothing. The smaller choices (coffin material, flowers, notices, transport) are meaningful and available regardless of the burial or cremation method chosen.
• Leaving the decision until the funeral is half-planned. Embalming, coffin sourcing, and venue bookings move quickly once arrangements start; raise environmental preferences in the very first conversation with the funeral director.
• Assuming every "eco" claim is precisely measured. Energy and emissions comparisons (particularly for water cremation) are directionally well supported but vary by system and provider. Treat specific percentages as provider figures, not settled science.
• Overlooking that these choices can be combined with any budget. A biodegradable coffin and no embalming are typically no more expensive than the conventional alternative. Environmental choices and budget constraints aren't in tension the way families sometimes assume.