Green Burial Council Announces Certification Program for Body Care Products

Wicker coffin
Credit: Eco Coffin

The Green Burial Council has announced the expansion of its certification program for environmentally responsible products and practices in the death care industry to include body care products used in green burials. The certification is designed to ensure that those products adhere to its sustainability and health-conscious standards.

The GBC has long advocated for environmentally friendly practices, including alternatives to formaldehyde for embalming, which a recent Environmental Protection Agency study found toxic to humans. The nonprofit organization has now extended certification to body care products used in preparing a body for viewing and burial.

According to the GBC, to be considered for certification, a body care product must make the full ingredient list publicly available and easily accessible; contain minimal PBT (persistent, bioaccumulating, toxic) chemicals; and contain minimal CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) chemicals. ​

New GBC Body Care Product Certification Standards ​

The new standards adopted in 2025 state that products which meet the minimum requirements to be considered for certification will be evaluated across three criteria to determine what level of certification they will receive:

1. Product does not contain any ingredients included in the CDC’s list of carcinogenic and reprotoxic chemicals.

2. Product does not contain any ingredients included in the EPA’s list of PBT (persistent, bioaccumulating, toxic) chemicals.

3. Product is entirely made with ingredients on the FDA’s list of GRAS (generally recognized as safe) chemicals.

Leading Authority on Green Burials

Founded in 2005 by Joe Sehee, the GBC brought together experts from the fields of sustainable landscape design, restoration ecology, conservation management, law and consumer affairs.

“Together we developed the first set of environmental standards for green cemeteries and the funeral professionals and product manufacturers that support them,” Sehee stated on the GBC website.

Today, the organization is widely regarded as a leading authority on the green burial moment.

Wool burial shroud
Credit: Life Forest

Its expansion into certifying body care products follows its now well-established standards for burial products, which includes caskets, urns and shrouds. The GBC requires that these products are created from plant-based, natural, animal or unfired earthen materials. Hardware is limited to brass or chrome. Additionally, finishes, adhesives and dyes may not release toxic byproducts into the ground during the decomposition process.

By setting these rigorous standards, the GBC hopes to ensure that certified products contribute to the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health and the restoration and preservation of habitat.