An unlikely environmental champion has emerged in the North East of England. JC Atkinson and Son, a coffin manufacturer based in Tyne and Wear was founded over 70 years ago and the grandson of the founder has integrated a range of environmental processes into the manufacturing process.
The funeral industry is not one that immediately springs to mind when considering environmentally conscious trade. But the subject of green funerals is one that is dominating the sector and, as the environment tops the public agenda, is becoming an increasingly important issue for many consumers. And Julian Atkinson, Managing Director of JC Atkinson and Son, is almost evangelical about the drive to ‘green’ the funeral industry.
The business of dying is one that, when examined, has a huge negative impact on the environment. From the provenance of the materials used in making coffins, to the potential carbon footprint from the cremation of certain products; from the waste generated during the manufacturing process, to the emissions from the polish used to varnish coffins.
JC Atkinson and Son is a shining example of how change for the better is being implemented at every level of the business. Improving environmental performance is fundamental to the company, and green initiatives and improvements have been woven into the day to day activity.
As far back as 1998 the company realised it needed to change the way it operated. The cost of sending waste to landfill was escalating and Julian Atkinson decided to use the waste wood to heat the factory. This was the start of a revolution within the company, one that Julian would like to see spreading not just to the rest of his industry, but to other sectors too.
“The initiatives we have brought in are in many cases simple and they can have a massive impact on the eco-credentials of any company,” explained Julian. “I realise that this industry can be slow to adopt new things as it has its roots in tradition and heritage, but our company has been running for 70 years and we’ve adapted so I think any company, however traditional, can take steps to become greener.”
One of the key issues for JC Atkinson and Son is obviously the materials used to manufacture the coffins. And as suppliers of 10% of the UK coffin market, the company’s decisions have a significant impact on the offer to the consumer. With this in mind they decided to ensure that all the wood used by the company would be sourced from sustainable forests. In 2000 the firm became accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and now 90% of its production is FSC accredited.
Julian is passionate about the use of wood and products that are as environmentally friendly as possible. Although the industry has seen a rise in consumer demand for more environmentally conscious funerals, he is concerned about misconceptions amongst the public about the green credentials of many materials. For example, cardboard may not be ideal as it is made from wood but has been through additional processes such as bleaching and pulping. Wicker and bamboo certainly look very eco-friendly, but the sustainable source of the materials is not always clear and the transportation costs from the original producer can increase the overall carbon footprint of the burial/cremation process.
It is not just the sustainability of wood that is an issue for coffin manufacturers. There is also the impact of coffins and caskets when either buried or cremated. The process of burning wood is carbon neutral as the level of CO2 given off is exactly the same as the wood absorbed from the atmosphere when growing as a tree. During a cremation, the wood coffin will actually aid the cremation, reducing the need for fuel. It therefore does not contribute towards global warming. And as wood has no sulphur content, it doesn’t cause acid rain. Wood also gives off the same level of CO2 when decaying, so whether burial or cremation is chosen, wood is the greenest material available.
The company saw further opportunities to become more environmentally efficient when it relocated premises in 2005. Julian Atkinson project managed the build of the factory in Washington, Tyne and Wear. Constructed on a brown-field site, the building has a number of features built into it to make it incredibly environmentally efficient. The roof has extra skylights to minimise the need for electric lighting inside. Rainwater is collected from the roof and stored in an underground tank. It is then used for cleaning vans and flushing toilets, a simple system that saves around 50,000 litres of water a year. On the shop floor drying lines have been introduced to speed up the drying time of water-based varnish after it has been applied to the coffins. Special pumps have also been installed that cut down on waste from lacquer sprays. They have altered the types of polish used ahead of legislation and introduced a system which uses an ultra-violet cured water-based polish. This has no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) within it, which are five times more harmful to the climate than CO2, and eradicates emissions from the polishing process.
But perhaps the most significant piece of kit that Julian Atkinson has put in place is a huge biomass generator. He believes they are one of only a handful of companies in this sector to have installed such a system and to have capitalised on this type of energy source. All the wood off-cuts and sawdust from the manufacturing process is collected and fed into the generator. This then supplies heat and electricity for the factory and even generates surplus electricity for the national grid.
The company has looked at every aspect of its business, from the construction of the factory to the manufacturing process and operational procedures. Wherever possible they have tried to introduce initiatives that make the production of 60,000 coffins a year an environmentally sound process. From the materials used to the company cars (which all use liquid petroleum gas and produce lower CO2 emissions); from their commitment to using local suppliers to the introduction of an innovative heating and power system, JC Atkinson and Son is an example to many within the industry and indeed within other manufacturing sectors.