As more Australians look for sustainable and environmentally friendly ways to farewell their loved one, green funerals are becoming a preferred choice, offering farewells that honour life while also protecting the planet.
With their focus on simplicity, sustainability and care for the earth, green funerals and natural burials can provide a meaningful, peaceful and environmentally conscious way to say goodbye.
Families are increasingly choosing natural funerals for many reasons, including:
✅Environmental responsibility – a desire to reduce our footprint, even in death.
✅A personal and peaceful atmosphere – ceremonies often take place outdoors, surrounded by nature.
✅Affordability – green funerals can be less expensive, especially when they avoid costly caskets and elaborate grave markers.
The key elements that make a funeral “green” usually centre on sustainability, simplicity, and the use of natural and biodegradable materials.
If you’re looking for an eco eco-friendly and sustainable alternative to traditional burials or cremations, these are some of the main elements you may want to consider.
✅Biodegradable coffins and caskets made from bamboo, wicker, cardboard or untreated wood
✅No embalming to allow for natural decomposition
✅Natural burial grounds, providing a simple, earth-conscious return to the soil
✅Organic shrouds as an alternative to a coffin or a casket
✅Biodegradable clothing inside the coffin or casket
✅Minimalist ceremonies in outdoor, natural settings
✅Simple grave markers such as native trees, shrubs, rocks or GPS coordinates
✅Low impact transport, such as electric hearses or local providers to reduce emissions
✅Avoidance of plastics and non-biodegradable materials
Choosing a final resting place that supports environmental sustainability is just as important as the ceremony itself.
New South Wales offers several natural burial grounds that combine serenity with sustainability:
✅EcoEternity Forest (Blue Mountains) – ashes are interred beneath memorial trees
✅Lake Macquarie Natural Memorial (Hunter Valley) – hand-dug graves and natural burials with biodegradable containers
✅Shoalhaven Memorial Gardens (Nowra) – lawn burials and memorial gardens for cremated remains
✅Frenchs Forest Bushland Cemetery (Northern Beaches) – lawn burials with options for ashes
✅St Francis Natural Burial Field at Kemps Creek Memorial Park (Western Sydney) – Sydney’s first chemical-free burial field with GPS-marked graves
✅Lismore Bushland Cemetery (Northern Rivers) – natural burials with native stone plaques or plant markers
✅Walawaani Way Conservation Burial (Bodalla, South Coast NSW) – Opening soon, this is Australia’s first all-natural burial cemetery, dedicated to reforesting disused farmland
The choice of coffin or casket also plays a big role in how sustainable a funeral can be.
Unfortunately, traditional coffins or caskets often involve treated wood, metal trims or synthetic linings that slow decomposition and can potentially harm the Earth.
Green alternatives are designed to decompose naturally and return to the earth.
| Material | Decomposition Time | Eco Credentials |
| Wicker | 1 to 5 years | Hand-woven willow, biodegradable |
| Cardboard | Less than 1 year | Recycled, biodegradable, minimal footprint |
| Bamboo | 1 to 4 years | Rapidly renewable, eco-friendly |
| Untreated Wood | 10 to 40 years | Sustainable forests, chemical-free |
| Wool or Banana Leaf | 1 to 10 years | Organic, biodegradable, low impact |
In keeping with the principles of a green funeral, traditional large stone monuments are usually avoided. Instead, natural burials favour subtle and sustainable ways to honour the resting place.
Some cemeteries provide GPS coordinates so families can always locate the exact spot, while others allow for gentle markers that blend into the landscape.
Families may choose options such as:
✅Planting a native tree or shrub near the site
✅Placing a simple rock or stone, either natural or lightly inscribed
✅Adding a wooden marker crafted from untreated timber
✅Creating a living memorial garden with plants that thrive in the local environment
These approaches maintain the natural beauty of the site while still giving families a meaningful place to return to and remember their loved one.
Alongside natural burials, families are now choosing Aquamation®, also known as water cremation or alkaline hydrolysis.
This gentle, environmentally conscious process uses water rather than flame, creating fewer emissions and using significantly less energy and harmful emissions than traditional cremation.
At Funerals By Design, we are proud to be the first funeral service on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to offer Aquamation, in partnership with Water Cremations NSW.
Learn more about Aquamation® Water Cremation here.
As land becomes scarce, environmental goals grow stricter, and community values evolve, more people are seeking funeral options that are sustainable, adaptable and aligned with modern priorities.
Human composting, also called natural organic reduction, is a new and environmentally conscious alternative to burial or cremation that transforms the body into nutrient-rich soil.
After placing the body in a chamber with natural materials such as straw, wood chips and alfalfa, microbes and oxygen work together over several weeks to return the body to the earth in a safe and natural way.
Human composting is already legal in several parts of the world including the United States, Canada and South Africa, with other countries exploring its adoption.
When regulations allow, it may become another option for those who want their legacy to include giving life back to the environment.
While not yet legal in Australia, in New South Wales, growing interest in human composting has led to a formal petition before State Parliament calling for it to be recognised as a legal and sustainable funeral option.
A Living Legacy Tree is a tree that has been planted in soil enriched with the ashes of a loved one, transformed through a patented treatment that neutralises harmful pH and salt levels that would otherwise harm plant life.
This treatment turns ashes into safe, nutrient-rich, valuable nutrients such as potassium and nitrogen that nourish the soil instead of damaging it.
What makes living legacy trees especially eco friendly is the long-term positive impact these trees have on the environment, compared to traditional burials or cremations.
Traditional burials often use non-biodegradable materials and occupy large areas of land that require ongoing maintenance. Cremations release carbon dioxide and other emissions into the atmosphere.
In contrast, Living Legacy Trees actively contribute to the environment by reducing soil damage, capturing carbon, providing habitat for wildlife, and helping to regenerate green spaces for future generations.
This sustainable choice also embodies the idea of turning loss into life through nature, leaving behind a legacy of growth, beauty and renewal.
Choosing a green funeral is about more than planning a farewell. It is about creating a legacy of care for both loved ones and the environment.
If you would like to know more about natural burials, eco-friendly memorials, or emerging options such as Aquamation and Living Legacy Trees, our Sydney-based team is here to provide guidance and answer your questions.
