Research shows readily biodegradable residual liquid without human DNA
The first test aquamations in Pontes’s pilot project have produced promising results. The University of Antwerp examined the residual liquid remaining after aquamation and established that it is readily biodegradable. Also, no human DNA was detected in the residual liquid. The pilot project thereby provides an important initial scientific basis for aquamation as a potential additional funeral method in Flanders.
For every cremation, Pontes will plant a tree or restore a section of peatland in the ‘Valley of the Black Creeck’ nature reserve.
Crematorium operator Pontes is joining forces with EcoTree on a sustainable new initiative: for every cremation, either a tree will be planted or a section of peatland restored in the nature reserve ‘Valley of the Black Creeck’ in Beringen (Limburg). With this initiative, Pontes aims to symbolically
give new life where life ends, thereby offering a cherished memory to the bereaved.
Study by University of Antwerp shows openness to aquamation alongside burial and cremation
Nearly nine in ten people in Flanders (Belgium) believe they should be free to choose how they say their final goodbye, whether through burial, cremation or new forms of funeral such as aquamation. That is the outcome of academic research conducted by University of Antwerp among 3,275 residents of Flanders. Aquamation is an alternative funeral method in which the body is not cremated or buried, but is instead broken down in an accelerated process in a cylinder filled with warm water. One in five people in Flanders would consider aquamation if the method were legally permitted. The study shows that societal support in Flanders for making such new options available alongside existing forms of funeral is clearly growing.