BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM
A quick note: this article walks through how water cremation works, including some detail about the process. If you’d prefer to jump straight to the environmental and policy context, feel free to scroll to the subheadings.
Scotland is making history in end-of-life care. As of this year, families there now have a third option alongside burial and traditional cremation: alkaline hydrolysis, more commonly known as water cremation. It’s already legal in the Republic of Ireland and across much of the United States, and the company leading its UK introduction is calling it the biggest change to cremation law since the practice was first regulated in 1902.
How it works
The process begins with the body being wrapped in a biodegradable shroud, typically silk or wool, before being placed in a pressurized chamber with hot water and potassium hydroxide. Heated to 150 degrees Celsius (300 degrees Fahrenheit) for up to 90 minutes, the solution gradually dissolves soft tissue, leaving only the bones. Those are rinsed at 120 degrees Celsius (248 degrees Fahrenheit), dried, and pulverized into a coarse powder using a machine called a cremulator. The remains are then returned to the family in an urn, much like traditional cremation ashes.
The environmental case
The numbers here are notable. A standard cremation produces the equivalent of roughly 320 kilograms (about 705 pounds) of carbon dioxide. Alkaline hydrolysis emits seven times less. For families weighing their environmental footprint as part of end-of-life planning, that gap is significant.
It’s worth noting that water cremation was the method chosen by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, when he died in 2021.
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto described the process as “an environmentally friendly alternative” to existing options, adding: “The choices people make about their remains prior to death are deeply personal, shaped by individual values, beliefs and the wishes of their families. The process will be subject to the same assurances and regulatory requirements as existing methods, giving bereaved families confidence that their loved ones are treated with care, dignity and respect.”
What comes next
Before water cremations can begin in Scotland, hydrolysis equipment will need to be built and approved, a process that will require planning permission and sign-off from Scottish Water. The Scottish government expects the first procedures to take place this summer.
Kindly Earth, which holds exclusive UK rights to manufacture the equipment, says it has been in discussions with several Scottish organizations for years. General manager Helen Chandler was measured about its likely uptake. “We know that not everyone will choose hydrolysis — and that’s the point. It’s about giving families more choice,” she said. “Each family has different values and priorities. Some people, particularly those planning ahead for their own funeral, are looking for options that feel more aligned to their own preferences.”
Andrew Purves, chief operations director at William Purves funeral directors, welcomed the change. “For me, funerals are all about choice and having a funeral that somebody feels is fitting to them,” he said, noting that some clients have already written water cremation into their future funeral plans. Pricing is expected to be similar to, or slightly above, the cost of a standard cremation.
A policy shift worth watching
Scotland’s move is likely to be the first of several across the UK. For now, families in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland remain limited to burial or flame cremation. Watching how water cremation is received in Scotland, and whether demand builds, will almost certainly shape what comes next elsewhere.
For anyone thinking about their own end-of-life wishes, the arrival of a lower-carbon, fully regulated option is a meaningful shift. The choice, as it should be, is now more personal than ever.
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