Embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle is high on many people’s agenda, so why not follow the same principles at the end of life as during it? Coffin choices abound these days and many are marketed as eco coffins or eco-friendly. However, some eco coffins may not be as ‘green’ as they are made to sound.
Willow eco coffins
When Mugrove Willows first started weaving willow coffins over a decade ago, they were viewed as a niche product. However, times have changed and people are far more open to breaking with tradition and selecting a woven willow coffin over a solid mahogany one. (Our Glastonbury and Hay Moor coffins are woven from steamed willow, so the colour is very similar to mahogany.) Today, our environmentally-friendly coffins are sent to Funeral Directors all over the UK. Our weavers have never been busier!
Eco coffins – Make it personal
Our eco-friendly willow coffins can be made in a wide variety of colours and customisation is commonplace. This is important. More often than not, a bereaved family is keen for the funeral service to reflect not just the life of the deceased but also their personality. While song choices and eulogies can be incredibly poignant, a traditional wooden coffin can feel a little impersonal. Families are often delighted to learn that willow can be treated in different ways to produce radically different finishes. Willow is hand-dyed on our farm. Only non-toxic dyes are used.
As every coffin is made on our Somerset willow farm with willow grown here, it is easy for us to incorporate a loved one’s favourite colour into a coffin design. Bespoke coffins can also be made.
And it doesn’t stop there. The coffin lining, pillow and/or mattress can all be personalised or dyed a loved one’s favourite colour. Our seamstress has made beautiful linings from favourite items of clothing. Wooden nameplates can also be used to great effect. One of our favourites was a plaque which simply stated, ‘Gone to the shed’. The end result was a unique piece which raised a smile and was incredibly personal.
Willow is an eco-friendly crop
But we digress. Let’s get back to the incredible eco credentials of willow. Our willow is planted from cuttings taken from high quality stock. A willow cutting usually takes around 3 years to become established. It can then be cut and harvested. The main growing ‘stump’ can last decades and the shoots (or ‘rods’) can be harvested every year.
Depending on the growing conditions and variety, willow rods can grow 8 – 10+ feet in a single season (May – September). Once harvested and dried, the willow rods are sorted by hand. Only the best rods are used to create a multitude of different coffin styles and finishes. Boiling, steaming and stripping produce different coloured rods. The bark can also be left on.
Compare those statistics to mahogany, a more traditional coffin wood. Now mahogany is no slouch. It ‘only’ takes around 25 years for a mahogany tree to reach a mature height of 50 feet. But of course, once it is cut down that’s it for the tree. Not a particularly eco-friendly way to make a coffin.
Another popular choice is walnut. A walnut tree takes approximately 30 years to reach maturity. Yes, you get the added benefit of the nuts, but again, once it’s cut down, the tree is no more.
Sustainable & carbon negative
Like any tree, willow removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows, so that’s an eco-friendly start. Our farm on the Somerset Levels is surrounded by water filled ditches and the climate and soil provide ideal growing conditions. The Musgrove Family work closely with an agronomist to ensure as little chemical intervention as possible. Our aim is to work with nature rather than against it.
Many of our warehouses have rainwater harvesting tanks. These range from 1,000 litres to whopping 10,000 litre ones. The recycled rainwater is used in the processing of the willow. This can be in the boiling process or when the willow is stripped and washed. The growing, processing and weaving all take place on our Somerset farm, so the miles involved in the transportation of our willow are minimal. This helps us to produce the ultimate high quality, eco coffins.
Weaving a willow coffin
It’s worth remembering that willow coffins are often referred to as wicker coffins or caskets. The quality of willow/wicker coffins can vary enormously. It isn’t just the quality of the willow which will have a bearing on your eco-friendly choice. (A coffin isn’t so eco-friendly if the willow has been flown in from Eastern Europe or the coffin shipped from China…)
Weaving a good willow coffin takes a huge amount of skill and experience. Our dedicated weavers can make a high quality, bespoke coffin in a day. Some bereaved families like to visit our farm and help to weave. This process can be incredibly cathartic. It’s a chance for family and friends to play an active part in making something beautiful and eco-friendly. Families often arrive here understandably upset, but leave in far better spirits. The weaving process gives people the time to swap stories and reminisce. No previous weaving experience is required as one of our highly skilled team is always on hand. People of all ages have taken part and the service is provided free of charge.
Our eco coffins pass the test
Our eco-friendly willow coffins have passed rigorous testing and meet with funeral and cremation requirements. (A crematorium is well within its rights to turn away a sub-standard coffin.) Correctly woven willow is incredibly robust. Our coffins have been weight tested to carry 30 stone. Coffins in excess of 7 feet long have left our workshop!
Not only are our coffins plastic-free they can also be metal-free. Just select wooden toggles to close the lid rather than screws. This allows our willow coffins to be used in Green Burial Sites. (Even our coffin pillows are filled with hay which is grown in our fields.)
Eco coffins for cremation
A well-made willow coffin is a good environmental choice for a cremation. Willow burns well and no glues or nails are used in the weave. Choose a cardboard coffin and it may burn too quickly. If this is the case then the crematorium will have to use additional fuel (usually gas) to fully dispose of the body. Chemicals and glues used in the production of some wooden coffins can be harmful to the environment particularly when burned.
Eco-friendly name plaques
After our eco-friendly willow coffins have been woven and lined a name plaque is made. FSC certified ash or oak is used.
Our laser engraver enables us to provide customers with a range of options. The nameplates are beautiful. It’s the eco-friendly finishing touch.
Whatever you’re thinking of for your funeral, be sure to consider willow. It’s a beautiful resource that won’t be the death of our planet. Willow makes a great choice for an eco coffin.
Read about our visit from CNN to film a piece on sustainable burials.
