(Currently adopted in Taiwan, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea)

There are many types of green burials available, but the ones common in Asia include scattering the ashes to the sea and garden, or putting ashes into biodegradable urns before planting them under trees or in flower pots. It builds on the existing practice of cremation in Asian countries such as India, China, and Japan.

Green burials may seem like a product of the environmentally conscious zeitgeist in recent years, but green methods such as sea burials have been an intrinsic part of Hindu death rituals. However, in other Asian cultures, green burial was not commonly adopted. In Chinese tradition, where people pay tribute to the dead at a physical site, scattering remains in nature can be interpreted as an abandonment of one’s loved ones.

To overcome such cultural barriers, government initiatives in Asia have integrated elements of traditional practices to green burials. In the Changqing cemetery in Beijing, families of the deceased who opt for the free natural burial receive a bronze commemorative plaque engraved with the deceased’s name and a QR code. Scanning the code gives them access to the deceased’s biography and a section to write commemorative messages. The Hong Kong government likewise set up a free memorial website where people can pay respects by sending virtual fruits and flowers to loved ones. Accompanying the website is an advertisement which extols the virtues of returning loved ones back to nature as part of life’s cycle.