Introducing Carrie and Fran, who have run A Natural Undertaking for the past 10 years – a Funeral Directors based in Kings Heath, who consider sustainability in everything they do. Their approach to undertaking has been appealing to people in the city, and they have just opened their second branch!
They have worked to replace as much unnecessary plastic in coffins as possible, and offer alternatives to the traditional oak coffins, like plain cardboard coffins that are 100% natural and biodegradable, untreated wood coffins with rope handles, willow wicker coffins or even simple shrouds. They own two electric hearses and are the only independent funeral director in Birmingham to offer an electric alternative.
They offer natural, woodland or meadow burials (i.e. being buried in a natural location as opposed to a traditional cemetery). Not only does this offer a peaceful location for friends and family to visit, but natural burials preserve existing habitats, and allows the body to decompose, so are considered the most sustainable option.
They also work with local crematoriums, that either filter out toxins harmful to the environment together with any waste combustion gases, or recover excess energy from the cremation process to heat a neighbouring leisure centre, including a swimming pool.
They also supported the launch of the Farewell Flowers directory, a national directory of florists committed to making funeral flowers seasonal, local and plastic free, and work with local suppliers to be able to offer this for their own customers.
As a result of all their hard work, they were awarded the Platinum Award Greener Globes Funeral Standard, which is the highest award offered, and is a sustainability audit scheme that measures a company’s contribution and efforts towards operating in a more sustainable manner.
Why is sustainability important to you?
“When we started ten years ago, it was in response to an environment in which all of our experiences of funerals had been focused on big fuel-guzzling cars, coffins with plastic handles and cremation – at that time almost always highly polluting. As well as a desire to help people make choices that are more personal and empowering families to be more involved in the funeral, we wanted to acknowledge the fact that funerals were having a potentially big impact on our environment. And we are all going to die (spoiler alert!) – so we need to be thinking seriously about the future.”
What sorts of things do you need to consider to ensure your business is sustainable?
“One of the first things we did was to suggest that natural burial could be an option – even for those living in a big city. Our nearest natural burial ground was just a 30 minute journey away, and so we took mini bus tours out to visit so people could see it was a possibility! Combine that with encouraging mourners attending to share transport (coaches etc) and it becomes a realistic choice. We invested in an electric hearse as soon as we could. And we have been constantly researching sustainable coffin choices – our aim is to always be able to offer a genuinely green choice which is the most affordable – then it becomes an obvious choice! We also look at how we run our day to day business – getting our building up to scratch with a carbon audit, recovering our chairs instead of buying new ones and recycling as much as we can.”
What is your favourite thing about running your business?
“I think I speak for both of us when I say that the best thing is the feeling we get when we know a family has been able to do EXACTLY what they need to to say goodbye to the person who has died – in a way that makes sense and helps them through their grief. And that they have been in complete control – they are the funeral directors. We simply help them. We’ve also been able to support other local businesses through our supply chain, created a community around death and dying and also created local employment opportunities. We’re very proud of that.”
What do you love about Birmingham?
“I’ve lived here all my life, and love the way that such a big city has such a sense of community and is constantly changing. But I also love that we are often seen as a bit of an underdog – and what that has given us is a brilliant ability to not take ourselves too seriously. Brummies are funny! Fran moved here for University and has stayed ever since – so I think that says everything you need to know!”
Head to www.anaturalundertaking.co.uk to learn more about what Carrie and Fran do.