Cardboard coffins gaining ground among eco-conscious

Mourners who paid their last respects to the late Ms Wang Jin Lian in March were greeted by an unusual sight - a cardboard coffin.

- Carmen Sin

The body of the 93-year-old great-grandmother lay not in the typical wooden casket, but in biodegradable paper, patterned with Buddhist swastikas and a print of 38 lotus flowers. The final wellwishes of her great-grandchildren were scribbled directly onto its surface, ahead of cremation.

Such paper coffins are a sustainable alternative to wooden coffins, and though they are popular mostly within minority green circles, major funeral parlours here are beginning to pick up on demand.

In January 2024, Unity Casket became the first major player to launch a cardboard product. Orders doubled in just four short months. The firm used to average one to two orders a week, now it moves three to five, said funeral director William Tan.

The appeal of a cardboard coffin lies in its "simplicity, affordability and environmental sustainability", range he added.