For many families, caring for the environment is just as important as planning a service. Eco friendly funerals provide a way to honour someone special while reducing environmental impact. At Kings Funerals, we’ve been guiding local families across Geelong for over 70 years to create farewells that are both meaningful and gentle on the planet.
What is an Eco Friendly Funeral?
An eco friendly funeral prioritises low-impact practices, biodegradable materials, and natural processes wherever possible. This approach doesn’t mean compromising on dignity, tradition, or personalisation; it simply focuses on reducing environmental harm while celebrating a life with respect and care.
Many families are exploring options such as:
- Biodegradable coffins and caskets Made from sustainably sourced timber, wicker, wool, cardboard, or other natural materials.
- Shrouded cremations or burials A gentle, natural approach that minimises chemical use and supports the environment. Kings Funerals is proud to be the first and only Geelong funeral home to offer this service.
- Hybrid and electric hearses Reducing emissions while transporting the person who has died. We now operate the majority of our hearses as hybrid or electric vehicles.
- Gentle mortuary care Where embalming is entirely optional, allowing families to choose low-impact preservation methods.
By combining these practices, families can create a farewell that respects both the deceased person and the natural world. Even small decisions like choosing local flowers or reusable service materials can have a meaningful impact.
Planning Your Eco Friendly Funeral
Planning a sustainable funeral involves thoughtful decisions across every aspect of the service. Here are key steps to guide you:
Consider the type of service
Decide whether a traditional burial, natural burial, or cremation suits the deceased and their environmental priorities. Each option can be personalised with rituals, readings, or music that celebrate life meaningfully. For example, a ceremony in a natural setting or a private garden can offer intimacy while minimising environmental disruption.Select biodegradable materials
Coffins, caskets, and urns made from natural or recycled materials help reduce environmental impact. Our funeral directors can advise on options that balance sustainability with elegance. Choosing biodegradable fabrics or finishes for coffins can also make a difference, offering a respectful and environmentally conscious tribute.Choose low-impact transport
Where possible, Kings Funerals utilises hybrid or electric hearses to help reduce environmental impact while maintaining dignity in transit. Our operations team carefully manages hearse allocation based on service requirements, distance and venue accessibility.Embrace local or natural venues
Outdoor memorials, local cemeteries, or venues with sustainable practices can complement eco friendly funerals while offering a beautiful, serene environment for reflection. These locations may allow families to incorporate personal touches such as planting trees or creating living memorials that endure for years.Involve family and friends
Encourage them to contribute sustainably through eco-conscious flowers, digital invitations, or donations to environmental causes. Families may also choose to involve children or younger relatives in planting ceremonies or other natural tributes, creating lasting memories and teaching environmental stewardship.
For a detailed, step-by-step guide to arranging a funeral, including eco friendly considerations, see our Funeral Planning Guide.
Preserving Meaning While Being Sustainable
Some families worry that choosing eco friendly options might feel less personal. Our funeral homes ensure every service reflects your family’s wishes, values, and the personality of the person who has died. From music and tributes chosen to suit them, to ceremonies designed around their life, we help create a meaningful farewell.
You can incorporate symbolic gestures that honour a life while remaining environmentally conscious, such as planting native trees, creating memory books with recycled paper, or choosing natural floral arrangements.
Create a Thoughtful, Eco Friendly Service with Kings Funerals
Planning a funeral is never easy, but with the right guidance, it is possible to arrange a meaningful service while protecting the environment for a greener future. Our team works closely with each family to understand their values and create personalised ceremonies that celebrate life in a way that feels authentic and respectful. You can also explore our eco friendly coffin options as part of planning a sustainable farewell.
To learn more about how we can support an eco friendly funeral for your family, get in touch with our team today.
