Resomation is an alternative to cremation and burial which offers a number environmental benefits including:

• A significantly smaller carbon footprint
• Significantly less energy required in the form of electricity and gas
• No airborne mercury emissions
• The sterile liquid effluent is safely returned to the water cycle free from any traces of DNA

A funeral involving Resomation is exactly the same as cremation until the point at which the coffin is committed from view. Following committal the body is transferred to a place where the Resomation can take place. This may be a funeral home or at a crematorium where Resomation facilities are available.

Just like flame cremation the remains consist of bone ash. These are placed in an urn and returned to the loved ones. The ash from Resomation is pure white.

The price will be determined by the equipment operator (Resomation Ltd does not operate the equipment but supplies it to industry operators). Similarly to cremation this will vary from country to country and will depend upon how widely the process is adopted. So far it seems the process is very similar in pricing.

The process needs to be legal in each country before it can take place. In the UK we have approached the UK government and Scottish Parliament and we are awaiting the outcome of those.

In the US and Canada the process is already regulated in more than 19 states and several provinces and is in the process of being considered in many others. In the USA Resomation is marketed as Green Cremation in Minnesota and sometimes referred to as water cremation.

Elsewhere across the globe this is a work in progress. For those of you who feel strongly committed to Resomation we would encourage you to contact the relevant authorities in your region to apply pressure to make it an available choice.