Authorities are scrambling to order more. The government stated that 1,200 coffins were delivered to the city last week, and more will be ordered.
Cremation is a popular burial option in densely populated islands off the Chinese mainland due to space constraints. The coffins are typically made of wood or wood substitutes.
Some companies offer alternatives to traditional coffins, such as a cardboard coffin that is more environmentally friendly.
LifeArt Asia offers cardboard coffins made from recycled wood fiber. These coffins can be personalized with your own designs. A maximum of 50 coffins are produced per day at the factory located in Aberdeen, a northern district of Hong Kong.
Wilson Tong, CEO, stated that there is still resistance to cardboard caskets. People feel it is a shame to use paper caskets. Tong stated that they feel this is disrespectful to their loved ones.
He noted that the company offers designs that can be customized to reflect religious or other hobbies, and even a personal color. It gives people more options than they need, so they can personalize the funeral and give a more peaceful farewell without fear of death.
According to the company, cardboard coffins emit 87% less greenhouse gases when they are burned during cremation than those made from wood or wood substitutes. LifeArt coffins weigh in at 10.5 kg (23 pounds) and can hold a body up to 200kg (441 pounds).
Over the past week, Hong Kong reported an average of 200 deaths per day. Many elderly people who had not been vaccinated have died from COVID-19. This surge has caused a strain on mortuaries and refrigerated containers have been used to temporarily store the bodies.
Forget Thee Not, a nonprofit that advises people about their last rites, purchased 300 cardboard coffins or caskets in the midst of rising death toll. They will either be sent to hospitals or given to loved ones.
“We have been promoting environmental-friendly and personalized funerals. We now see that Hong Kong requires more coffins. Albert Ko, a director of Forget Thee Not, stated that there aren’t enough coffins to accommodate the bodies in our hospitals.
Ko stated that some elderly people who had discussed their final rites with Ko were open-minded and open to the idea for eco-coffins.
He said, “We hope that we can use this opportunity to contribute and also promote eco-coffins.”