The greenest way to go to the grave
As society is turning to a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle, cardboard coffins are becoming more and more popular for those searching for a ‘greener’ funeral. But that does not mean than any style has to be lost, as Farewell Magazine found from Greenfield Creations.
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t has been over 20 years since William’s father developed their first cardboard coffin - and they have been selling them ever since. A sign writer and cardboard engineer,
he did not just want to offer plain cardboard coffins; he would paint images on to them. William, managing director of Greenfield
Creations, said that his father also printed directly on to the board for a stock range of coffin designs. These included green, white, woodgrain,
marble - or any colour of the customer’s choice. But over the years, the design and make process has evolved, with increasing amounts of customer involvement.
William, who runs the company in Essex, said:
“Our customers can simply submit their own photos or images or get their initial inspiration from our website. “Sometimes they will give us a theme to work
with, for example ‘A menagerie of animals’. We would then put together design options using photos, drawings or website images. “We get so much pleasure working with our
customers with design ideas.” In 2002, the National Science Museum
exhibited Greenfield Creations coffins alongside other death-related objects from their historical collections.
William said: “The purpose of the event was to demonstrate changing attitudes to death and how people were now seeking self expression in the choice of funeral.” The company was also honoured in 2004, when they were invited to exhibit their coffin at the Design Museum in London as part of the Conran Foundation’s collection of ‘ingenious inventions’. William said that it was important that they, as in any industry, gave the customer what they wanted. He said: “People wishing to really personalise a
funeral is a growing trend so our range of coffins and bespoke design service needs to take into
A Christmas Carol
Barn Owls
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Farewell Magazine
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