What is Water Cremation?
Instead of using fire, as with traditional flame cremation at around 1000C, water cremation combines water with an alkali and heated to 150C to speed up the decomposition process that would naturally occur after burial.
The deceased is placed in a water chamber and this gentle method then breaks down the body using the natural hydrolysis process and takes around 3-4 hours.
Once complete the pure white ash that remains is returned to the family in an urn as happens with flame cremation.
Where is Water Cremation already carried out?
This end of life option has been carried out in the United States since 2012. Bradshaws Celebration of Life Center, a funeral director in Minnesota has offered their families this option for the last eight years. Others have followed.
Why choose Water Cremation?
Traditional flame cremation has been with us for over 100 years, and is a popular choice for many people.
However, this fossil fuel driven method faces environmental challenges, including airborne emissions and high-energy consumption, inevitably leading to adding greenhouse gasses to our ecosystem and impacting climate change.
Independent environmental analysis (Sustain) has shown that the substitution for a water cremation reduces emissions of greenhouse gases by approximately 35%.
Is the funeral service different?
The funeral service for a water cremation is the same as one involving flame cremation, until the point at which the body is committed from view at the end of the service.
Are water based cremations the future?
It is certainly an alternative option to a flame cremation and burial.
It has been independently shown to have the lowest and indeed little environmental impact at all, and this is an important aspect to many people, especially for those who have lived a very green lifestyle.
Others simply see this water based process as gentler than flame.
How are we preparing for this new style of cremation?
Scottish Water has given their approval to Scotmid Funerals for water cremations to take place, and we are proud to be one of the first funeral directors in discussions with them on how we can provide this service.
We are working with our partners at Resomation Ltd and with the Scottish Government to allow us to pioneer water cremation in Scotland.
This is in its early development phase and we will update this webpage as it progresses.
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