Funerals that spare the environment

What sparing the environment means at a funeral

There is no single ecological formula for a funeral, only a set of choices, each of which can be made lighter. They concern the coffin and urn, the form of burial, where the ashes or coffin are placed, the flowers, the transports, the notices and how the grave is remembered. No choice has to be all or nothing: an ecological coffin can go with an ordinary blessing, and a memorial grove can be chosen even if the flowers are plentiful. This guide gives no environmental figures, because reliable comparative numbers for funerals are scarce; instead we say what each choice means in practice and what it costs. The Burial Act requires that the deceased's own conviction and wishes are respected, so if the person close to you cared about the environment, these choices are also a way of carrying out their will.

The ecological coffin

A coffin is always needed, also for cremation, so the coffin is the first choice. In our range the ecological coffins have a water-based finish and a linen interior, and the surface is natural, white-washed, waxed or tar-toned. A cotton- or linen-upholstered coffin is also a natural-fibre option. All our coffins are made in Finland, so the journey from the factory to our office is short. Coffin prices start from 520 euros, and material, model and details set the price; we state the price of the ecological coffin at the planning visit or in the family's online space before anything binds. Samples are on show at our office at Annankatu 12. See also the guide Choosing a coffin: materials, models and prices.

• Water-based finish and linen interior
• Made in Finland, like all our coffins
• Alternatively a cotton- or linen-upholstered coffin
• Price stated before ordering; coffins from 520 euros

The biodegradable urn

If the deceased is cremated, the urn is chosen by placement. In an urn grave, family grave and memorial grove the urn is lowered into the ground, and a biodegradable urn that breaks down over time suits it; some of the wooden urns are biodegradable. A columbarium requires a non-biodegradable urn, so the lightest option for the environment is a biodegradable urn lowered into the ground, or scattering, where the urn serves only as a transport vessel. Our urns cost from 95 euros, the Classic urn 95 and the Design urn 240 euros, and the Hillitty package includes the Classic urn. We deliver the urn to the crematorium for you. Under the law the ashes must be placed permanently in one place within a year of cremation. See the guide Choosing an urn.

Cremation or burial

Both forms of burial burden the environment in different ways, and neither is clearly lighter. Cremation uses energy at the crematorium, but placing the ashes takes little space and a memorial grove needs no tended grave. Burial uses no combustion energy, but it reserves a grave plot that is tended for the lease term and needs a placement suited to a coffin grave; in Helsinki new coffin graves are given only to Helsinki residents. If the environment is the reason, look at the whole: burial in an ecological coffin without a gravestone, and cremation in a biodegradable urn placed in a memorial grove, are both light solutions. In cost they differ: cremation of a Helsinki resident at a parish union crematorium costs 260 euros and the memorial grove 90 euros, while a coffin burial costs 690 euros. The deceased's own wish decides if it is known. The details of each form are described in the guide Cremation in Finland.

A memorial grove instead of a tended grave

A memorial grove is a shared area of the cemetery where the ashes are lowered without an own plot, a gravestone or a flower bed to tend. The parish tends the area, and the family need not buy a stone or a care contract. In Helsinki the memorial grove costs a Helsinki resident 90 euros, and if you wish the name can be added to the common memorial for 170 euros; the anonymous groves at Hietaniemi and Maunula have no plaque. In Espoo a memorial grove or scattering area costs an Espoo resident 240 euros and a name plate 30 euros; in Vantaa a memorial grove including cremation costs a Vantaa resident 528 euros. By comparison, a Helsinki urn grave costs 180 euros for 25 years plus 150 euros for the urn burial, with the stone and care on top. If a tended grave matters to the family, parishes offer grave care for a fee, and a gravestone is never compulsory.

• Helsinki: memorial grove 90 euros, name plaque on the common memorial 170 euros
• Espoo: memorial grove or scattering area 240 euros, name plate 30 euros
• Vantaa: memorial grove including cremation 528 euros
• A gravestone is not compulsory in any option

Flowers by the season

Flowers are the most visible decoration at a funeral, and it is easy to choose lighter there. Ask the florist for seasonal and Finnish-grown flowers; you can name favourites, and the florist chooses from what is available. One coffin spray and the family's own bouquets are enough for most ceremonies, and the spray can be moved to the grave or memorial grove after the blessing; we agree with the parish what happens to the flowers if the deceased is cremated. Ordered from us the coffin spray costs 185 euros; at our florists a coffin spray is between 150 and 350 euros, a grave sheaf between 80 and 160, a grave bouquet between 35 and 90, and an urn decoration between 60 and 130 euros. Flowers are ordered 2-4 days before the ceremony and delivered straight to the chapel. We use two long-established partner florists. At the memorial reception one bouquet on the memorial table beside the photograph and candle is often enough.

Fewer transports, venues closer by

A funeral involves several movements: collecting the deceased, transport to the chapel and on to the crematorium or grave, and the guests' journeys to the ceremony and the reception. The number of transports can be cut by choosing the blessing venue at the same cemetery where the cremation or burial takes place, and the reception venue near the chapel. The Helsinki parish union crematoria are at Malmi and Honkanummi, each with a cemetery; the Krematoriosäätiö crematorium is at Hietaniemi. One transport in the Helsinki region costs 290 euros and is included in our packages; further transfers are priced separately, so fewer movements are also cheaper. We arrange reception catering from partner restaurants from 29.90 euros per person, and some venues charge no separate room fee. Our office at Annankatu 12 is near the stop for tram lines 1, 3 and 6, about 150 metres away on Fredrikinkatu, and Kamppi metro station is about 500 metres away.

Notices and invitations online

A death notice in the newspaper is not compulsory. Many families tell relatives and friends about the death and the funeral personally, by phone or by message, and invite them the same way. If you want a newspaper notice, we draft and place it; the price depends on the paper and the size of the notice, and we state it before ordering. The family's shared online space replaces paper lists and copies: every relative sees the same choices, prices and schedule, and documents are signed electronically. The order of service can be left unprinted or printed in just a few copies, and thanks for condolences can be sent by message instead of a newspaper notice. Condolence cards are a tradition, but instead you can ask guests to remember the deceased with, for example, a donation to a cause that mattered to them; this is mentioned in the invitation or notice. All of this is yours to choose, and no way is more right than another.

Candles and remembering at the grave

A candle is often taken to the grave or memorial grove, especially on All Saints' Day, when parishes remember those who died during the year. The candle can be carried in a lantern, so the same lantern serves year after year and less single-use plastic is left at the cemetery, or you can use an LED candle that needs no flame. At the reception one candle on the memorial table beside the photograph and flowers is enough; the memorial table and candle are part of our service. A gravestone is not compulsory, and there is no deadline for getting one. If a stone is wanted, Finnish grey granite from 510 euros is our partner stonemason's standard option, and a new name can be engraved on an existing family grave stone instead of buying a new one. In Espoo a new memorial is brought to the grave between 1 June and 31 October, once three months have passed since the burial.

What you can leave to us

You tell us which choices matter to you; we fit them together and state each price in advance. We order the ecological coffin and the biodegradable urn, arrange the blessing and cremation at the same cemetery where possible, book the memorial grove with the parish burial services, pass your flower wishes to the florist and arrange reception catering at a venue close by. Notices, invitations and signatures are handled in the family's shared online space. Parish and crematorium fees are invoiced unchanged, and funeral costs are deductible in the estate inventory. We serve you in Finnish, Swedish and English. Call 09 6129 890 or book a planning visit at Annankatu 12; the visit is free. The office is open weekdays 9-16, and we answer the phone around the clock. The office is reachable by tram and metro, and there is free courtyard parking with entry from Uudenmaankatu 17.

Frequently asked questions