North East coffin manufacturer launches app to reduce funeral carbon emissions

A North East coffin manufacturer aims helps customers reduce their funeral’s carbon footprint by up to 50 per cent.

JC Atkinson has launched an app, Greener Goodbyes, to combat the 1 million tonnes of CO2e in an average year generated by the funeral sector.

Greener Goodbyes provides users with a roadmap to arrange a funeral of their wishes and make it greener by lowering the carbon footprint, with the chance to further offset this by purchasing carbon credits or supporting eco projects.

Julian Atkinson, managing director of JC Atkinson, commented: “With sustainability high on the global agenda, we believe that the funeral sector needs to also play its part. With Greener Goodbyes we can help families make informed funeral choices and leave a lasting positive legacy that will play its part in supporting our environment.

“The Greener Goodbyes app utilises Life Cycle Analysis data on all of the aspects that make up funeral arrangements today, whether traditional ceremonies or direct cremations, single or multiple venues for a service and reception, methods of transport, right through to catering, flowers and additional items.”

These changes can include choosing an eco-coffin, reducing funeral miles and sharing vehicles as well as opting for woodland burials.

London-based family funeral firm W Uden and Sons, whose knowledge contributed towards the development of the Greener Goodbyes app, has joined the initiative and is also the first funeral directors in the UK to partner with JC Atkinson to offer net carbon zero coffins.

Matthew Uden, managing director of W Uden and Son, commented: “The initiative has already proven popular with families and we are proud to be able to be the first funeral director in the UK to offer this option for a ’greener goodbye.

“Whilst we pride ourselves in offering choice and arranging the style of funeral our clients wish for, which often includes the use of several of our high end vehicles, that we know are not the most environmentally friendly, we hope that families will embrace the idea to offset their loved one’s funeral’s carbon footprint.

“Funeral directors have their part to play in helping to reduce climate change. We conduct many hundreds of funerals and will be covering the cost to offset the carbon footprint of every coffins that we use. We also believe offering our clients the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions of the whole funeral is an important step”.