Short answer: the eco-friendly alternatives to flame cremation are aquamation (alkaline hydrolysis, sometimes called water cremation) and human composting (natural organic reduction). In California, aquamation has been legal since July 1, 2020. Human composting was signed into law in 2022, but it doesn't become operative here until January 1, 2027, so for a death in November 2026, it isn't an in-state option yet. The caveat: laws differ by state and keep changing, so check the rules where the body is. Not legal advice.
The cheapest green move works with any method: skip what you don't need. More on that below.
The three options, side by side
| Method | How it works | Legal in California? | What comes back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flame cremation | The body is reduced "to its essential elements by incineration" (Health and Safety Code 7010) | Yes | Cremated remains (bone fragments) |
| Alkaline hydrolysis (aquamation) | Heat, or heat and pressure, water, and potassium or sodium hydroxide in a hydrolysis chamber (HSC 7010.1) | Yes, since July 1, 2020 | Bone fragments, processed like cremated remains |
| Natural organic reduction (human composting) | The body is mixed with straw, wood chips or other natural materials and air, and turned until it becomes soil (HSC 7002.7) | Signed in 2022; operative January 1, 2027 | Soil |
Aquamation (alkaline hydrolysis)
California authorized it with AB 967 in 2017 and it became operative on July 1, 2020. It runs through licensed hydrolysis facilities, which the state's Cemetery and Funeral Bureau licenses, the same way it licenses crematories (Business and Professions Code 7639).
What actually happens: instead of flame, the body goes into a chamber with water and an alkali (potassium or sodium hydroxide) under heat. California's code describes two end results: bone fragments that are processed into "ashes," and a liquid called hydrolysate, which the statute calls "a sterile, benign, micronutrient-rich solution consisting of sugars, salts, peptides, and amino acids" (HSC 7017).
You still get remains back to keep or scatter, just like flame cremation. The difference is the process.
Human composting (natural organic reduction)
California's law, AB 351, was approved by the Governor on September 18, 2022. The rules for reduction facilities "shall become operative on January 1, 2027" (HSC 8396). Until then, there are no licensed reduction facilities in California.
When it opens up, one detail worth knowing now: a reduction facility can't require a casket and can't turn a body away for not being in one, though it can require some kind of container (HSC 8391).
Other states got there first. The Funeral Consumers Alliance tracks this; on its legislative news page it reports New Jersey became the 14th state to allow natural organic reduction in September 2025. If you're thinking about an out-of-state facility, read the next part first.
The out-of-state problem
Moving a body across state lines isn't like shipping a box. California's Health and Safety Code says a common carrier can't accept a body for transport unless it has been embalmed, or, if it can't be embalmed, it's in an airtight metal casket or airtight transportation case (HSC 7355). That cuts against the whole point of a green choice, and it costs money. Ask any out-of-state provider exactly how they transport, and get it in writing.
The green moves that work with any method
The greenest cremation is usually the one with the least extra stuff attached. Federal law is on your side here:
- No embalming for direct cremation. The FTC's Funeral Rule bars funeral providers from saying a body must be embalmed for direct cremation, and they have to disclose that embalming is generally not required by law (16 CFR 453.3).
- No casket required. A funeral provider or crematory can't require you to buy a casket for direct cremation, and providers that arrange direct cremations must offer an alternative container (16 CFR 453.4). The rule names fiberboard or composition materials as examples.
- Keep the extras local. Garden flowers, a home memorial, a family-made urn. The eco-friendly funeral checklist covers the rest of the service.
Questions to ask a provider
- Are you a licensed hydrolysis facility, or do you send bodies to one? Where is it?
- What's your price for direct hydrolysis, and what's included (transport, container, permit, urn)?
- Do I get the remains back, and how soon?
- Can I use my own container?
Check any license on the California Department of Consumer Affairs license search, which covers Cemetery and Funeral Bureau licenses.
Not cremation at all?
If what you actually want is burial without a vault or embalming, that's a different decision. Read our green burial guide. For the money side of cremation, see how to arrange a funeral or cremation without overpaying.
Sources
- California Health and Safety Code 7002.5–7017 (definitions: cremation, hydrolysis, reduction, hydrolysate)
- Business and Professions Code 7639–7639.19 (hydrolysis facilities)
- AB 351 (2022), natural organic reduction
- Health and Safety Code 8390–8396 (reduction facilities)
- Health and Safety Code 7355 (transport by common carrier)
- 16 CFR 453.3 and 16 CFR 453.4 (FTC Funeral Rule)
- Funeral Consumers Alliance: legislative news