Bioplastics are being used in more and more products. But the Den Bosch-based company Onora is launching a very special bio-based product: a funeral coffin.
The coffin, called Onora Pure, has been on the market for a year and is starting to catch on with consumers. According to inventor Marieke Havermans, her coffins are an affordable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional funeral coffins and existing ecological coffins.
Havermans worked as a packaging technologist and came up with the idea for the bio-based coffin through a personal experience. "When we had to bury my mother-in-law, I found out that most wooden coffins (about 80 per cent of them) are not made of wood but consist of chipboard or MDF. These are very polluting materials and it didn't actually feel right to say goodbye to my mother-in-law in this way. Therefore, I started looking into whether this could be done differently."
Material
The project started with the search for the right material, although they were considering bioplastics from the beginning. "The material had to digest in the ground, burn without toxic emissions, look good and be easy to process. It was also important that the bioplastic could be used for a large product like a funeral coffin. To date, mostly small products are still made from bioplastic, such as cups and cutlery." In the end, she ended up with a compound of maize and natural fibres such as jute Havermans: "I did extensive research into different production methods, including price quotations, production times, cost and investment calculations. Then followed the development to the final product. In total, the project took three years. That seems long, but just producing the mould took seven months."
However, that milled-out mould plays a crucial role in the production process. The coffin is made using injection moulding. The granulate is injected into the mould in one go and becomes flexible under high pressure and temperature. Within 2.5 minutes, a coffin is produced, including closures. The material cools in the mould and is then taken out by a robot. "In one go, 12 kg of material is injected into the mould. So you can imagine that these are not small machines and moulds. They weigh around 30 tonnes each. Because the boxes are formed in the mould in one go, no assembly is needed. With this process, 45% less material is used than in the production of current funeral coffins." Havermans also thought carefully about the model. "Almost all existing coffins are heavy and very 'straightforward'. They remain six straight planks. We chose a shape without straight lines and earth tones. Much less heavy."
No emissions
Like wood and chipboard, the coffin's bioplastic breaks down in the ground. The difference, however, is that this happens without emissions. So no harmful substances are left behind in the ground. Even in cremation, for which many ecological coffins are not suitable, Onora coffins have 75% lower emissions than standard funeral coffins.
Havermans has many ambitions for the future with Onora. For instance, she is aiming for a lighter and simpler model to compete with the cheapest chipboard coffins. The current model of the Onora Pure costs 850 euros, which is already cheaper than most ecological funeral coffins. More colour variations will also be added in due course. But first and foremost, production has to go up, although that still takes time. "The funeral industry is quite conservative. Consumers are willing but funeral directors, where most coffins are still purchased, are reluctant. We want to show that as a consumer you really have a choice. The choice for a beautiful and environmentally friendly funeral coffin."
Source: Onora
By: Kelly Bakker
