The Co-op has announced it will be launching water cremation later this year, the first of its kind service in the UK.
Also known as Resomation and Alkaline Hydrolysis, water cremation is presented as a sustainable alternative to burial and standard cremation. The UK's largest funeral provider will begin offering the practice that "speeds up" the natural process.
Water cremation is a four hour process in which the deceased is put into a biodegradable pouch that is placed into a container with pressurised water and potassium hydroxide. The remaining "soft bones" are dried and then reduced to a powder similar to ash, which is returned to the bereaved in a sustainable urn.
