火葬研究 27

Introduction
ACHIEVING CARBON-NEUTRAL CREMATORIESＫＡＳＯＵＫＥＮ

ASSOCIATION OF RESEARCH INITIATIVES FOR CREMATION, FUNERAL AND CEMETERY STUDIES

Chairman ＩＴＡＲＵ ＴＡＫＥＤＡAs COVID-related travel restrictions continue tobe lifted, I have been able to resume traveling inEurope this year. EU member nations areleading the way in addressing environmental
issues.
They consider climate change animminent crisis. Many countries in the world
have been making efforts to reduce net
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but the EU
has written the set goals into law. Theyadopted the European Climate Law in 2021. It
codifies the EU’s goal to become climate neutral
by 2050 as a legally binding obligation. As anintermediate goal, the Law sets a total GHG
emissions reduction target of 55% by 2030
compared to1990 levels.
The European
Commission also presented a series of legislative
proposals, so called the “FIT for 55” in 2021,
which describe the measures it will take to reachthe target, including this 55% reduction, by2030.

introduced their products to the market inNovember 2018.
The first product (DFWElectric) commenced its operation in theNetherlands in June 2019. By December 2022, atotal of 25 electric furnaces were in operation inEngland, Germany and the Netherlands. In theNetherlands, 11% of all the crematory furnaces
are electric today, 118 crematories are planned to
be in operation by the end of 2023, 16% of which
are expected to adopt electric furnaces. And by2030, approximately 50% will be run by electric.
In the next several years, the number of electric
furnaces in EU member countries is expected torise in order to meet the legally binding goals tocountermeasure climate change and otherenvironmental issues.
Each EU member country has its own plans toachieve carbon neutrality.
For example,
Switzerland is now returning to gas furnaces
after using electric for decades. They believe
electric furnaces are inefficient due to the longer
time spent to complete the cremation process.
Feuerhalle Simmering in Vienna, Austria has
also switched back to gas furnace and has plans
to move to hydrogen before 2030. They are
already in the testing stage.

To abide by the law and to meet the set targets,businesses in all sectors must achieve theirreduction targets.
Crematories are noexception.
When I visited Crematorium
Antwerpen in Belgium, the plan to demolish andrebuild a new crematory was moving forward.
The original crematory, ceremony hall and cafe
were built in 1983. Its worn-out appearance,and sudden rise in maintenance and repair costs
and soaring energy consumption were allindicative of the facility becoming technologicallyunfit. Since the building structures are in thearea away from the cemetery and the park, it
was decided to rebuild the facilities from scratch.
The new plan includes setting solar photoelectric
generation panels and a wind power generation
system on the rooftop. There will be intensive
afforestation for the purpose of GHG absorption.
The employees will be required to commute byusing public transportation and/or bicycles. All
vehicles owned by the facility shall be EVs.
During my visit, they were at the stage ofworking on the blueprint. The new facility is
due for completion in 2026.

One of the measures Japan is promoting isconstruction of Net Zero Energy Buildings(ZEBs) by which the total energy consumption is
reduced by 50% compared to conventionalbuildings. Since crematories are highly energy
intensive, it is quite a challenge to achieve the50% reduction target. There is, however, one
crematory in Japan that intends to meet theminimum ZEB-ready criteria. It is currently inthe planning stage. Reuse of waste heat fromcrematories, which is common in Europe, isanother area Japan needs to become moreproactive.
How we, the mortuary sector,
decisively approach the carbon neutral target
will be perceived as how serious Japan is about
the global environmental issues.

In Belgium, crematories are in the process ofswitching from gas furnace to electric. The
Netherlands, however, has long been using
electric furnaces. DFW Europe, a Netherlands
company that develops electric furnaces,
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English text by Yukiko Izumi
Contact: ＫＡＳＯＵＫＥＮ（General Incorporated Association）
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