How the Modern Funeral Industry Impacts Our Environment
When we think of funerals, we often think of grief, legacy, and love… But rarely do we consider their environmental impact.
Modern funeral practices—especially in the United States—are resource-intensive, chemically invasive, and environmentally costly. From embalming fluids to cement vaults, the conventional deathcare system leaves a deep ecological footprint.
In this post, we’ll unpack how the funeral industry affects the planet—and why more people are turning to sustainable alternatives like green burial and home funerals.
1. Embalming: A Toxic Tradition
Embalming, introduced during the Civil War to preserve soldiers’ bodies for transport, is now standard in many funeral homes—but it’s not required by law in most cases (Green Burial Council, 2024).
Environmental costs:
Formaldehyde, a primary embalming ingredient, is a known carcinogen that can leach into soil and water sources after burial.
Over 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid are buried in U.S. cemeteries each year (Ramsey Creek Preserve, 2023).
Embalming does not prevent decomposition—it simply delays it, for appearance’s sake.
In essence, embalming chemically alters the body for temporary viewing, at great cost to the earth.
2. Caskets and Vaults: Waste Below the Surface
The typical casket is often made from metal, hardwoods, or composite materials and designed to resist decay.
What this means:
Each year, U.S. burials consume:
30 million board feet of hardwood
90,000 tons of steel
1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete (National Funeral Directors Association, 2024)
To protect caskets from collapsing underground, most cemeteries require concrete burial vaults—which further delay natural decomposition and add to resource use and emissions during production.
These materials take centuries to break down, all to create a sense of “permanence” that’s more about industry marketing than ecological or spiritual need.
3. Cremation: Cleaner, But Not Green
Many choose cremation as a lower-cost, space-saving option—but it’s not without its ecological toll.
Cremation produces:
About 534.6 pounds of CO₂ per body, equivalent to a 600-mile car trip (Environmental Impact of Cremation Study, 2022).
Emissions from burning fossil fuels, as well as mercury released from dental fillings if not properly filtered.
And while scattering ashes may seem like a gentle, nature-loving gesture, cremated remains are actually composed mostly of ground bone, not ash. They are alkaline, mineral-dense, and do not easily break down in soil, which can disrupt local ecosystems—especially in sensitive areas like forests, wetlands, and waterways (Green Burial Council, 2024).
Over time, the widespread scattering of cremains—especially in national parks or public lands—can impact soil chemistry and biodiversity.
4. Land Use and Lawn Cemeteries
Modern cemeteries prioritize symmetry, permanence, and manicured aesthetics—but that comes at a price.
Environmental downsides:
Thousands of acres of land are cleared and maintained using pesticides, herbicides, and irrigation systems.
Cemeteries are often sealed ecosystems, designed for display rather than ecological function.
Wildlife habitats are displaced, and soil health is compromised.
As our population grows, conventional cemeteries occupy increasingly valuable land that could otherwise support biodiversity or sustainable farming.
5. Funeral Transportation: One Last Road Trip
Hearses, limousines, and out-of-town guests all contribute to a funeral’s carbon footprint. While less obvious than vaults and chemicals, travel-related emissions add up—especially when families are flying across the country.
A Greener Path: Alternatives to Consider
The good news? There are meaningful, legal, and eco-friendly alternatives.
Options include:
Green burial: No embalming, biodegradable shrouds or caskets, and no concrete vaults. The body returns naturally to the earth (Green Burial Council, 2024).
Conservation burial: Green burial on land protected for ecological restoration and habitat conservation.
Aquamation (alkaline hydrolysis): A water-based cremation alternative with up to 90% fewer emissions.
Home funerals: Loved ones care for the body themselves.
Recomposition: Also known as human composting—now legal in several states.
These practices not only honor the earth, but also reconnect families to meaningful, participatory rituals of care and letting go.
Death as a Return, Not a Waste
Death is not waste—it’s a natural transformation. Yet the conventional funeral industry has reshaped it into something resource-intensive, chemically saturated, and environmentally harmful.
By questioning these norms and exploring alternatives, we can align our end-of-life choices with our values, the earth, and the sacred cycles of life and decay.
It’s not just about how we die—it’s about what we leave behind.
Sources
Green Burial Council. (2024). About Green Burial. https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/
Ramsey Creek Preserve. (2023). Conservation Burial Environmental Statistics.
National Funeral Directors Association. (2024). 2023 Statistics and Reports. https://nfda.org
Environmental Impact of Cremation Study. (2022). CO₂ Emissions from Cremation.
University of Vermont. (2023). Home Funerals and Green Burials Empower Individuals at End of Life.
