Turn your ashes into corals after death: the idea of ​​resting reef (who saves the sea)

In the heart of thefuneral industrysomething is changing. More and more people are looking for sustainable alternatives to traditional burial or cremation rites, often harmful to the environment. To propose an innovative solution is the British startup Resting reefThat transforms human ashes and animals into artificial coral reefsthus contributing to restoration of marine ecosystems.

Founded by designers Aura Murillo Pérez And Louise Skajemthe startup has developed a unique technique that combines the ashes obtained with a process called aquamation (a sort of cremation in alkaline liquid), with shattered oysters shells and one Cementist mixture with low environmental impact.

The result is a solid material that, once modeled, is immersed at approximately 10 meters deepwhere it can accommodate the marine life and contribute to filter the watercounteract thecoastal erosion and increase the biodiversity.

The structures are modeled inspired by natural organic forms

The first resting reef experiment took place a Bali In 2024, where the remains of pets. The results were promising: Ben 84 species of fish colonized the area, with one Navy diversity 14 times higher compared to degraded nearby areas. Strengthened by this success, the company plans to start using it too human ashes and to start the first projects in the United Kingdom, in particular in the sea in front of the city of Plymouth.

The structures are modeled inspired by organic forms naturallike Stromatolites, to encourage the roam of seaweed and marine microorganisms. It is also possible to keep a home reproduction of the “Memorial Coral”, offering families a tangible way to remember their loved ones.

With each traditional burial they are issued up to 833 kg of CO2while the cremations they come to about 400 kg. In this context, Resting Reef represents a concrete response to a little discussed problem: the ecological impact of death.

The project was also recognized at an institutional, finalist of the Land paper design lab promoted by King Charles III and supported by Innovate UK. With the first human reef scheduled for 2026, resting reef is not trying the way we can give new life on the planet when we are no longer there.