When you die, you generated 300kg of CO2 when cremated. Interesting fact huh? That is alot of CO2 produced that will in a way, will contribute to globalwarming.

And with the thought that your coffin actually might be made of woods from illegally logged trees, this cardboard coffin provide you an ego boost for your environment friendly self.

While this cardboard coffin is aimed at the Japanese society as 98.8% of the dead are cremated, this might interest Singaporeans too due to land constraints and that cremation is also a popular choice.

Tri-Wall K.K., a cardboard box business, is challenging funeral convention and asking customers to think outside the normally expensive wooden box, which carries the deceased from funeral to crematorium.

Unlike conventional caskets mostly made of plywood, the firm’s coffins are made of special corrugated cardboard called Tri-Wall Pak. The cardboard is produced from trees that meet the standard of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, which is an international comprehensive program to preserve forests.

Compared with plywood coffins, the Tri-Wall caskets require half the wood used to produce them and consume half the energy upon combustion. They also release one-third the amount of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide, Tri-Wall claims.

In addition, the company sends staff to Mongolia to plant red pine trees, where forest fires have caused extensive damage. The company plants 10 trees for each coffin used in a carbon offset mechanism.

Because crematoriums incinerate the coffin as well as the deceased, as is the case of 99 percent of Japanese when they die, funeral-related emissions have become something of an environmental concern.

Japan’s pollution laws exclude crematoriums from having to report the level of their carbon dioxide emissions, although the government estimates this on an annual basis for reference purposes.

Crematorium emissions are small compared with other industries, but the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry drew up a guideline in 2002 calling on crematoriums to improve their incinerators to reduce emissions.

In general, the funeral industry has little consideration for the environment.

Try-Wall’s products actually cost more than conventional coffins, which run around ¥120,000 to ¥150,000.

The firm began research and development eight years ago and began marketing cardboard coffins in November 2006.

Relatives of the diseased “seem to like the idea that they have done something nice for society” despite their loss, Masuda said. “People are willing to pay a higher price if they think it’s a good item.”

Masuda said Tri-Wall sold 2,000 cardboard coffins last year.

“Some people are surprised to see that it’s made of cardboard, but the coffin looks fine, and since our members are very keen on reuse and recycling, they seem to be comfortable with their choice,” the official said.

For Tri-Wall, whose customers include manufacturers of auto parts, electronic goods, computers and food items, Masuda said the coffins represent a tiny segment of the company’s business.

[from Japan Times and TIME Magazine]

Cool, they even plan 10 trees for every coffin sold too.

And Hong Kong is embracing such eco coffins too.