Crematoria in Germany want to become more climate-friendly. The Traunstein Cremation Center recently presented a project for climate-neutral cremations. “Operations at the Traunstein cremation facility now make it possible for a sustainably led life to receive a worthy conclusion,” said Paul Engmann, managing director of the operator, EHG Service GmbH. “In total, we were able to reduce emissions by almost 96 tons of CO₂.”
According to him, only 2.94 kilograms are now emitted per cremation instead of 14.79 kilograms as in 2020. In addition, the crematorium has “put everything to the test, from the energy supply to the vehicle fleet to the work processes.”
“The project is certainly one of the pioneers,” said Ralf Michal, President of the Federal Association of German Undertakers. According to him, some crematoria in northern Germany are already operating in a climate-neutral manner – “and this is absolutely to be supported.” There is no exact number of how many of the 164 crematoria in Germany are climate-neutral. “But the efforts are increasing and there is awareness in the undertakers’ trade and also in the crematoriums.”
According to Michal, “with a death rate of over a million people, three quarters of all burials take place through cremation.” If these became increasingly climate-neutral, “the funeral industry would contribute to the technological development of better environmental standards in Germany.”
The operation of crematoria in Germany is already subject to strict criteria, which are set out, for example, in VDI guideline 3891 “Emission reduction – systems for human cremation”. “It is all the more pleasing that some crematoria have significantly improved these high environmental standards through voluntary commitment and additional commitments and want to continually improve them,” emphasized Michal.