For a long time, most Europeans had two options: traditional burial or cremation. According to 2024 data from the Cremation Society of Britain, cremation is gaining popularity in most European countries, with rates in Denmark, Slovenia, and Switzerland at almost 90%.

Recent research by sustainability consulting firm Hedgehog in the Netherlands calculated the carbon footprint of different burial methods. Gas cremation is number one at 181 kg CO₂ per person, followed by a traditional burial with a gravestone and coffin at 120 kg. These numbers correspond to driving a gasoline car for roughly 900-1300 km.

This individual “death footprint” may seem small on its own, but with around 5 million deaths recorded in the EU per year, the collective impact is huge.

In the Pontes crematorium in Antwerp, Belgium, researchers are experimenting with a third option: aquamation, or “water cremation”.

“We cover the body of the deceased person in a wool shroud and place it in a cylinder,” Johan Van Dooren from Pontes told The European Correspondent. “Inside is a mix of 95% water and 5% potassium hydroxide, a substance often used in cleaning products and cosmetics. The machine heats up to a temperature of 160°C under constant pressure, and after four hours only the white bone particles remain.” Similar to a classic cremation, family members can take the ground particles home in an urn.

If the tests continue to be successful and the Flemish government drafts new legislation as planned, Belgium's first official aquamations could take place in 2028. People who want to be aquamated before that can go elsewhere: Scotland recently legalised aquamation, and Ireland's first centre has been open since 2023.

Another hotspot for death care innovation is Germany. On 18 June, the parliament of the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein approved “terramation” or “human composting” as an official burial method.

This method turns human remains into nutrient-dense soil. To do this, a dead body is placed in a cocoon made of recycled materials and filled with organic matter like straw, wood chips, and hay for 40 days. Natural bacteria then break down the body's tissue.

“Families can take home the resulting soil – which roughly matches the person's body weight – for their garden, or bury it in a natural graveyard, depending on local regulations,” Pablo Metz told us. His facility, Meine Erde, is the only one in Europe where bodies can legally be “terramated”. “I'm convinced many other countries will now follow.”

While aquamation is often considered eco-friendly because it avoids burning, terramation is even more minimalist. It skips the coffin, gravestone, and embalming fluids, and uses minimal energy, for instance by rocking the cocoon twice a day to boost composting. But it's still a demanding, weeks-long process for each body, especially since only seven cocoons are available at Meine Erde today.

Hedgehog research estimates aquamation's carbon footprint at 118 kg, only slightly lower than traditional burial. Terramation, at 47 kg, electric cremation (45 kg), and natural burial (40 kg) – where the body is buried in a nature reserve with biodegradable materials – seem to be cleaner alternatives.

“How climate friendly a funeral really is is determined by many local factors,” Katrien Schaubroeck, a philosopher exploring sustainable funeral alternatives at Antwerp University, told us. “Did the ovens for an afternoon cremation already heat up in the morning? Does the gravestone come from Asia or from the Belgian Ardennes? And what is the local temperature for the terramation process?”

Most people don't think much about climate impact when deciding how they want to go, Schaubroeck said. “It's more about an emotional choice of returning to one of the elements, be it fire, water, or earth.”