The UK is taking steps toward legalizing "water cremation" as a new funeral method, providing a third option alongside traditional burial and flame cremation. The UK Law Commission is currently proposing legal approval of new methods of body disposal beyond burial, cremation, and the rarely used burial at sea, which may include "alkaline hydrolysis" funerals.

Water cremation, also known as "alkaline hydrolysis" or "resomation," involves placing a person's body into a woollen shroud or other organic pouch and using water, alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes pressure and agitation to accelerate the natural decomposition process. This method results in only a brown liquid and softened bones being left behind after about 90 minutes.

Co-op Funeralcare, one of the UK's leading funeral providers, welcomed the Law Commission's review, which will run until spring next year, ending in a final report and draft Bill. "At Co-op Funeralcare, we are committed to serving the needs of our member-owners and clients and offering the most sustainable and affordable services," a Co-op Funeralcare spokesperson said. "We welcome the Law Commission's review and encourage exploration into alternative methods that provide consumers with greater choice and deliver environmental benefits."

In 2023, Co-op Funeralcare announced its ambition to pilot resomation in the UK and worked closely with the government to explore the regulatory requirements to introduce this service across the nation. However, the spokesperson noted, "We did not proceed with this as, at the time, we were unable to find a path through the current regulatory framework."

Water cremation is emerging as a more environmentally friendly funeral option than traditional burial or flame cremation, as it consumes less fuel and emits less carbon dioxide. Some experts call it "green cremation" and argue that it offers environmental benefits.

The process of water cremation involves placing a corpse in a steel container, injecting alkaline substances, and heating it to about 160 degrees Celsius for approximately 90 minutes. At the end of the process, all tissues are dissolved, leaving only a brown liquid and softened bone fragments. The softened bones from the cremation process can be ground into a powder so the bereaved family can take them home and bury them, just like ashes.

The remaining liquid from the water cremation process is completely sterilized, undergoing wastewater treatment before being discharged with regular sewage. It contains salts, sugars, amino acids, and peptides, and DNA is destroyed, allowing it to be treated as wastewater. However, many people feel discomfort or oppose the method of water cremation because they believe that sending the liquefied remains of a corpse down the drain with wastewater undermines human dignity. Some cultures consider it desecration of the body, and there are concerns about the water cremation method.

Despite being patented in 1888, water cremation was not widely commercialized and has not been systematically regulated, leading to it being defined as illegal or not commercialized in some countries. Water cremation is currently allowed in 30 states in the US, Canada, and South Africa. In Europe, water cremation was first introduced in Ireland. In the United States, specifically at the Bradshaw Celebration of Life Center in Minnesota, there is an alkaline hydrolysis machine in the basement, which cost $750,000 to install about a decade ago.

Anti-apartheid campaigner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who died in 2021, chose resomation for his own funeral in South Africa. Water cremation has now become an option available to the general public in several countries.

Residents of the UK typically resort to burying corpses in graves or cremating them by setting them on fire when their relatives die, as new funerary methods are not currently regulated in the UK, other than by more general legislation such as environmental and planning laws. The consultation paper published earlier this week highlights two methods used in other countries: alkaline hydrolysis and human composting. The process of human composting takes around two to three months, where a body is placed into a sealed chamber or vessel with carbon-rich organic matter, such as straw and wood chips, to enable quicker decomposition. The resulting soil from human composting can be returned to bereaved loved ones.

Provisional proposals suggest a legal framework to enable new methods of body disposal to be regulated in the future. Other methods involving the freezing of human remains have also been suggested, although none of them are yet viable, according to the consultation paper.

Water cremation mimics natural decomposition and has less environmental impact than burial methods, which can cause soil contamination. It is gaining attention as a form of "green cremation."

Some concerns remain about the water cremation method. "People feel a sense of rejection because they feel like they are mixing their loved one's remains with sewage," a related expert stated. Others believe alkaline hydrolysis is a degrading method of disposing of corpses. Despite these concerns, advocates of alkaline hydrolysis maintain that it is a dignified and environmentally friendly alternative.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), conventional cremation is known to emit about 535 pounds (approximately 243 kg) of carbon dioxide at a time.

The cost of water cremation ranges from $1,500 to $5,000, depending on the region, similar to traditional cremation methods. The process takes between four and fourteen hours, with the process starting when the machine closes and fills with water, taking 90 minutes to dissolve all tissues and become free of DNA.

At the end of the water cremation process, the remaining material becomes brown in color, resembling the color of tea. The effluent produced by alkaline hydrolysis is sterile and contains salts, sugars, amino acids, and peptides. Any metal joints, such as hip and knee joints, remain intact after the process.

Written with the help of a news-analysis system.