What’s new?

INDUSTRY UPDATES:

Human composting is being assessed in NSW. As of mid-2026, human composting is legal in Germany and 14 US states. However, it’s likely to be permitted in NSW soon after a Public Health amendment bill was introduced into the NSW Parliament. This legislation may pave the way for the introduction of natural organic reduction.

Shroud cremation is gaining momentum. You or your loved one is wrapped in cloth rather than placed in a box. The material and style can be as fancy or basic as you choose.  Shrouded cremations are becoming more widely available, especially now that Australia’s deathcare behemoth, Invocare, is allowing them at its cremation facilities in Queensland and New South Wales. Read more here: Shroud cremation enters the mainstream. This comes a year after Sydney’s Metropolitan Memorial Parks (MMP) started offering them too. Read more here: No coffin required.

Water cremation / alkaline hydrolysis facility opens in Tasmania. Details in my blog here: The new wave of body disposal: alkaline hydrolysis. 

Cryonics is now available in Australia. That is: blood is replaced with a solution that preserves the organs. The body is gradually cooled to minus 196 degrees Celsius and then stored in a vacuum-sealed chamber cooled by liquid nitrogen. Clients hope to be thawed when the science catches up with the technology. Read more here and here.