Cardboard coffins 'save cash and trees'

Martine Saussol, 55, from Alès in Gard, was originally a naturopath – a practitioner of traditional holistic medicine.

But she took up her new job three years ago when a friend died in an accident and his wife had to pay €1,200 for a coffin. She was shocked by the price – and the waste of wood.

She said: “There are 540,000 deaths a year in France and one tree is needed to make five coffins. Cutting down a tree to make a coffin which will be buried or burnt in a crematorium must stop.”

It took a lot of research to design and create a coffin that conformed to various government regulations.

The end result is made of recycled cardboard with a honeycomb structure. It is covered with a 3mm wood veneer, which comes from responsibly managed forests and uses a special non-polluting glue.

A cardboard coffin will cost around €360 depending on the undertaker, who sets the price – Mrs Saussol does not usually sell her products directly. A traditional oak coffin will start at around €1,000 but there are cheaper ones in pine for around €500.

Interest has been increasing and at present she supplies about 30 coffins a month throughout France.

However, eco-friendly coffins are relatively new to the French market and it is difficult to get them accepted.

She said: “People are worried that a cheaper coffin in cardboard is an insult to the person who has died. But every week I get calls from elderly people who say they don’t want their children to spend lots on their coffin.

“The undertakers are also reluctant to include my coffins in their catalogues but the family has the right to choose and if you don’t want one in wood you can insist that they supply your choice. If it is difficult I will take orders direct.”

Last year, the Bordeaux mairie chose Mrs Saussol’s coffins for the 43 victims of a coach crash in the Gironde.