The man who wants to bring human composting to the UK

Kristoffer Hughes, a druid and former mortuary technician, is aiming to launch the UK’s first human composting service. After years of working in death-related industries, he now seeks to offer an alternative to traditional cremation and burial. The practice, known as terramation, involves placing a deceased body in a sealed environment with natural materials to transform it into soil over weeks.

Legal Pathways and Global Inspiration

The UK currently does not have legal provisions for terramation, but the Law Commission is set to release a consultation soon. This review may pave the way for legislative changes. Hughes, who has studied death rituals worldwide, was deeply impacted by his visit to Return Home, a pioneering composting facility in Washington state, where bodies are turned into nutrient-rich soil using alfalfa, straw, and wood chips.

“I was surrounded by natural organic materials. It smelt good,” Hughes recalled of his experience at the facility. “And I realised at that moment that my body was not going to be disposed of, but rather transformed.”

From Mortuary Work to a New Vision

Having spent three decades as a specialised mortuary technician for coroners across the UK and abroad, Hughes explored global approaches to death care. His work on the S4C documentary series “Marw gyda Kris” (Dying with Kris) led him to examine alternative practices, including terramation. “I genuinely didn’t think there was anything left to surprise me in the death service world,” he said, until encountering the composting process firsthand.

He draws inspiration from Dr William Price, a 19th-century druid who successfully advocated for cremation in the UK after being acquitted in a 1884 trial. “Price was always an inspiration to me as a death service professional, but also as a druid,” Hughes noted. “This could be a druid in the 21st Century bringing another aspect of end-of-life care into being.”

Launching a UK Initiative

Together with Chris Cooper-Hayes, a landscaping expert, Hughes founded Eterrna, hoping to establish the UK’s first terramation service. They recently returned from the US, where they trained at Return Home, becoming among the first Britons to learn the technique. While training is a manageable step, legal approval remains the key challenge.

Water cremation, a similar low-carbon method, was recently legalised in Scotland. The Ministry of Justice is awaiting the Law Commission’s findings before deciding on terramation’s status. Meanwhile, Wales has its own process, with the Welsh government stating it will consider the implications once the report is published. Hughes believes the case for terramation is strong, highlighting its environmental benefits and spiritual significance.

“Cremation produces significant carbon emissions, and traditional burial consumes land and resources,” he explained. “Human composting gives us another option—one that’s deeply ecological and spiritually meaningful. At the end of the process, you become soil that can grow forests, feed gardens, and nurture new life.”