In modern society, many of us live at a distance from death, it is a subject that we find challenging, upsetting and uncomfortable. We have a tendency to speak about it in softened language, we rely on familiar practices, we have a basic understanding of what feels right, culturally, spiritually and traditionally. But with this we inherit assumptions that are rarely questioned, and invariably the assumptions that we adopt arise from a platform of misinformation. In doing so, we often create and sustain myths about what happens to the body after death. For generations the death care industry has been shrouded in mystery, and this has exacerbated the myths that many have regarding what happens to the body after death.

At Eterrna, we believe that honest, compassionate conversations about deathcare matter, transparency is key to our campaign. We do not to do this to shock or unsettle, but to empower. Because when we understand the realities, we are better able to make choices that align with our values, our beliefs, and our care for the world around us. Our transparency also involves challenging the language and vocabulary that we use when we speak about death.

This is one of those conversations.

The Myth of ‘Clean’ Cremation

Cremation is often imagined as a gentle, almost instantaneous process, one that reduces the body neatly to soft, powdery ‘ashes’, but the reality is more complex. Flame cremation does not make the body disappear entirely, instead it is a mechanised process that uses a machine that is called a ‘retort’ or a ‘cremation machine’; essentially this is a bio-incinerator that:

• Consumes soft tissue through intense heat

• Leaves behind skeletal remains

• Causes bones to fragment and become brittle

After the flame cremation process is complete, what remains is not yet the fine ‘ashes’ we are familiar with, the result is bone fragments, some large and some small. To create what families receive, these fragments are placed into a machine known as a ‘Cremulator’, which reduces them into a uniform consistency. This machine looks like a small tumble dryer or a cylinder that contains mechanisms within to crush and reduce the bones to a fine gravel called ‘Cremains’. This is not widely discussed, yet it is a standard and necessary part of the cremation process.

Image courtesy of The Good Funeral Guide

Why Some Reactions Differ

In recent years, alternative methods such as human composting (also known as Human Organic Transformation) have entered public awareness. One aspect that can provoke a strong reaction is the knowledge that, after the transformation process, the remaining bone material is gently screened and reduced, again, using a cremulator or similar machine.

For some, this feels confronting and challenging, yet this is the same essential step that occurs in cremation. However, because the language is new and the process is new, it often initiates a kick-back response that more often than not arises from a person not understanding fully what happens when a body is reduced by any method.

The difference is not in the existence of bone material, nor in the process of reduction, but in how we culturally frame and understand each method. Human composting makes visible what cremation has long kept out of sight.

What Happens in Burial?

Burial is often perceived as the most ‘natural’ option, a return to the earth. But here too, the reality is more nuanced. In conventional burial:

• Graves are typically six to eight feet deep

• In conventional cemeteries, coffins are often enclosed within brick or concrete linings

• Oxygen levels at that depth are significantly reduced.

This creates an anaerobic environment, which significantly alters the decomposition process. Rather than a dynamic return to the living ecosystem, the body is largely isolated from it. While this may meet cultural, emotional, or religious needs, it is not the same as active participation in the cycles of nature.

Natural Burial: An Eco-Friendly option with some limitations

Natural burial grounds aim to restore a more ecological approach, allowing the body to decompose in a way that nourishes the soil. These spaces can offer something profoundly meaningful. For natural burial to work effectively, the body is buried in natural materials that break down quickly, and at less depth than a conventional cemetery. However, natural burial grounds are not as numerous as conventional cemeteries. As demand has grown, some larger providers have adopted the language of natural burial while maintaining practices, such as deeper graves that limit full ecological integration.

This does not diminish their value, but it does highlight the importance of asking questions and understanding the details behind the terminology.

A Different Perspective on Return

Where cremation produces inert remains, and conventional burial often limits ecological interaction, human composting offers a different outcome. The result is not simply ‘remains’, but living soil that is capable of supporting plant life, restoring ecosystems, and continuing a relationship with the natural world.

For some, this is deeply meaningful. For others, it may feel unfamiliar or challenging.

Both responses are valid. Cremation is not for everyone, conventional burial is not for everyone, natural burial is not for everyone, and Human Composting is not for everyone. At eterrna what is important to us is that we offer another way beyond the two options that have been open to us for the past 130 years.

Why These Conversations Matter

It is completely natural to feel discomfort when we look more closely at death. Much of what has been hidden or softened in language can feel stark when spoken about plainly. But avoiding these conversations can leave us making decisions based on incomplete understanding, or inherited assumptions. Our intention is not to tell anyone what they ‘should’ choose but rather to:

• Offer clarity where there has been ambiguity

• Replace myth with understanding

• Create space for open, respectful dialogue

Because deathcare is not just a practical matter, it is deeply personal, cultural, and for many, spiritual. We not only only aim to provide another option, but are actively changing the language, vocabulary and culture of the contemporary funeral model.

An Invitation

If this raises questions, know that you are not alone. If it feels challenging, that too is part of the process and that is okay. But, we invite you to sit with these ideas, to explore them, to ask, and to speak about them with those you trust. In doing so, we begin to bring death back into the realm of the known, not as something to fear, but as something we can approach with honesty, dignity, and care.

At eterrna, transparency is key to our campaign and ultimate operations.
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eterrna - reterrning to the earth we call home.