British Company Captures the Green Funeral Market with its Woolen Coffins

Due to a growing demand for green funerals in Britain, Hainsworth, a 225-year-old wool mill, has begun producing Natural Legacy caskets. These 100% wool caskets are woven from the fleece of three sheep and can hold up to 840 pounds. They have six jute handles, cotton interior lining, and an embroidered woolen nameplate. Because the coffins are all natural, they only come in two colors: brown or white. The coffins range from $960 to $1,290.

Domestic sales are averaging 50-60 a month, and the company has branched out to Australia, Finland, Germany, and Holland. Hainsworth most recently set up a distribution arm to the United States where demand for environmentally friendly funerals is also increasing.  They have already sold over 100 in the U.S., and surveys show that 1 out of 5 older Americans want a green funeral. The company is confident that its wool caskets will capture this market rather than the alternative green caskets: cardboard, wicker, or papier-mâché.

See Thomas K. Grose, Rest in Fleece: Woolen Coffins Offer Green Goodbye, TIME, Apr. 5, 2011.

Special thanks to Douglas Cowan (Attorney at Law, Dallas, TX) for bringing this to my attention.