Eco-friendly options for death

For a bucolic-feeling eco-funeral, wickerwork is a popular choice. Willow caskets like this are not only biodegradable - allowing the body to decompose naturally in the ground - but willow trees are also fast-growing, making it particularly sustainable. This model is handmade and lined with natural, unbleached cotton.

People have been buried or cremated in shrouds for thousands of years. And now, shrouds may be making a comeback. Here, bereaved adorn the body of a loved one with flowers. The body is wrapped in a shroud, atop a platform made of bamboo.

What could be more in line with the recycling ethos than wrapping a body in old newspapers? If that sounds like a somewhat unceremonious end, this "ecopod" - made from recycled newspapers - is fit for the most design-conscious funeral. It is even available in the color gold.

Ecopod makers say the cask is also lightweight, and easy for mourners to carry. This funeral saw the deceased reach a final resting place at Deerton Woodland Burial Site in Kent in the south of England, where graves can be marked with native trees and plants.

For those who prefer to be cremated, Ecopod also makes urns - again from recycled newspaper. Designer Hazel Selina says she was inspired by a life-long fascination with the burial rites of ancient Egypt.

The Spiritree takes the idea of planting a step further; the biodegradable base holds fertilizer and ashes to feed a tree planted in the centre. The ceramic lid is design to break apart as the tree matures.

These bright urns are made of biodegradable conrnstarch, and degrade completely when buried. The makers say they can also happily keep for years in a cemetery niche - or perhaps as a cheerful addition to the mantelpiece at home?

Or how about a burial at sea? The Memento urn is made of eco-friendly recycled paper that dissolves in water. Friends and family can say their last goodbyes with messages scrawled on the urn's surface, or inserted in through a handy slot in the top.

Capsula Mundi is a starch container designed to hold a human body curled in a fetal position. After being buried, this will decompose, nourishing a tree planted above. Italian designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel have a vision of "sacred forests" instead of graveyards. But Italian law requiring bodies to be buried in tin-lined wood means this has yet to become a reality.