From extraordinary to eco-friendly – DW – 11/21/2025

November 27, 2025 by Cnznews

A massive rock wall stands above a small plateau in the southern Haute-Provence region of France. At its base, there are some stones sitting in the grass, looking like they fell there by accident. Beneath them lie the ashes of a young man – it was his favorite spot – where his family has chosen for him to rest in peace. In Germany, this would not be possible.

German law generally requires that the dead be buried in an approved cemetery, a burial forest or a specified section of the sea. Keeping an urn in your backyard is also not allowed, nor is scattering a loved one’s ashes in the wind.

Flowers are floating on water. — The flowers often accompany the sea-scattered ashes of the deceased.Image: Stephen Sawyer/ZB/Picture Alliance

hot air balloons and diamonds

While Germany remains strict about burial rules, people in other countries are finding new ways and places to bid their last farewell.

In Switzerland, some mourners scatter ashes in alpine meadows and rocky areas. There and in the Netherlands, ash may also be released from hot air balloons. Once the balloon reaches the chosen location, the ashes are scattered in the air, and the coordinates are later sent to the family along with a certificate. The second option is to fly by small plane.

Some American companies offer an even grander farewell by sending a small portion of the ashes into space. A legal gray area makes this possible even for the Germans, since most remains do not leave the earth and are buried in an urn.

four small diamonds — More and more funeral homes are also offering so-called ‘diamond burials’Image: Soren Stach/ZB/Picture Alliance

A growing number of companies also offer memorial or cremation diamonds. Over several months, carbon extracted from a person’s ashes or hair is pressed into synthetic diamonds that can be set into jewelry.

trend towards permanent burial

For those who value stability even in death, options are growing. Environmental awareness is clearly increasing across Europe. In Scandinavia and the Netherlands, new cemeteries are emerging that focus on natural materials and eco-friendly design.

A cemetery among the trees in a forest in Sweden — Simple and dignified: Stockholm’s Skogskirkgården cemetery in Sweden is a UNESCO World Heritage SiteImage: Oscar Gonzalez/Sipa USA/Picture Alliance

Throughout Europe, natural and environmentally conscious funerals are on the rise. In grasslands and forests, the dead are buried in biodegradable coffins made without varnish or metal, and without coatings or chemical additives.

Environmental concerns are also shaping cremation. According to the German Quality Association for Cremation Facilities, cremation will account for 81% of burials in Germany in 2024. Modern crematoria now use heat-recovery systems, and funeral directors increasingly offer biodegradable urns. These urns are often used in tree burials in forest cemeteries, where graves blend naturally into the landscape.

In some places, burials may be anonymous; In others, small plaques mark the spot.

When a human becomes human manure

Some funeral homes are now offering a more natural option, known as human compost. The corpse is encased in a cocoon of straw, grass, flowers and a small amount of plant charcoal. After a few days, a gentle, cradle-like arrangement shakes the cocoon at regular intervals, helping to distribute the moisture evenly.

A tub filled with grass and a symbolic human figure placed on top of it. — A more sustainable way to bury: human composting Image: Christian Charisius/dpa/Picture Alliance

Natural microorganisms in the body, combined with plant material, break down the remains into fine soil in about 40 days. A biological air filter prevents odors. The remaining bones are ground into fine powder and mixed with the soil. The resulting soil is placed in the cemetery plot and planted – often with a rose bush, lavender or some other plant that the person chose before his or her death.

pulverized in flash freezing

Swedish biologist Suzanne Vigh-Masak, who died in 2020, is considered a pioneer of another eco-friendly burial method – promation.

In this process, the body is first flash-frozen at minus 18 degrees Celsius (64 Fahrenheit), then immersed in liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees (-321 Fahrenheit). Extreme cold makes the body so fragile that even slight vibration turns the body into fine powder. In the vacuum chamber, moisture is removed, and any metal – such as dental fillings – is taken out.

The remains may then be placed in a small, compostable coffin made of corn or potato starch and buried in the ground. Although the process has been patented in more than 30 countries, it has not yet been put into practice anywhere.

Cryonics, a method that also involves freezing and is used in countries such as the United States and Russia, differs from embalming, as cadavers are frozen at minus 130 degrees Celsius and preserved intact – in the hope of future revival. Scientists consider this possibility extremely unlikely.

The way people were buried tells a lot about the way they lived their lives. There is not only an aesthetic difference between an ornate grave and a tree root, but also a shift in how society thinks about religion, ownership, and nature – and ultimately, how we remember our dead.

This article was originally written in German.

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