Lizzy Steel / BBC
“If it’s a choice between being lovingly wrapped, or boxed up, it’s a no-brainer for me”, Rachel says
“I don’t want my last act on this planet to be a polluting act, if I can help that,” Rachel Hawthorn explains.
She is getting ready to make her own burial shroud because she is concerned about the environmental impact of traditional burials and cremations.
“I try so hard in my life to recycle and to use less, and to live in an environmentally friendly way, so I want my death to be that as well,” she adds.
A gas cremation produces the estimated equivalent carbon dioxide emissions of a return flight from London to Paris and around 80% of those who die in the UK are cremated each year, according to a report from carbon consultancy firm, Planet Mark.
But traditional burials can pollute too. Non-biodegradable coffins are often made with harmful chemicals and bodies are embalmed using formaldehyde: a toxic substance which can leach into soil.
Lizzy Steel / BBC
The shroud, which can be used to replace a coffin, is made from locally sourced wool and willow
In a recent survey from Co-op Funeralcare, conducted by YouGov, one person in 10 said they would want a more ‘eco-friendly’ funeral.
Rachel, from Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, made a burial shroud for a friend from locally-sourced wool, willow, bramble and ivy, as part of her work as an artist.
For years she has explored the themes of death, dying, grief and nature through crafts and functional objects.
But the 50-year-old sees the shroud, which can also remove the need for a coffin, as more than just artwork – and has since decided to make her own.
A common reaction from those who have seen the creation is to ask if they can touch it, to feel how soft it is.
For Rachel, it is the perfect way of helping people address the taboo topic of death.
She also works as a death doula, which involves supporting people who are dying, as well as their loved ones, to make informed funeral care choices.