Aquamation at Furevergreen
Aquamation—also known as alkaline hydrolysis—is a gentle, water-based alternative to traditional cremation. Using warm water, alkali, and time, this process mirrors natural decomposition and provides families with remains that may be kept, scattered, or memorialized.
At Furevergreen, our mission is to provide compassionate, sustainable, and respectful aftercare for beloved pets. Aquamation offers a peaceful way to honor the life of a cherished companion while minimizing environmental impact.
Imagine the Impact
Aftercare Options
We offer both Individual and Communal Aquamation. The decision is a personal one and depends on whether you would like your pet’s ashes returned to you.
Individual Aquamation
In an individual aquamation, each pet is placed in a dedicated chamber and cared for separately throughout the process. This ensures that only your pet’s ashes are returned to you. Families who select individual aquamation often wish to keep the ashes for memorial purposes, such as placement in an urn, scattering in a meaningful location, or incorporating into a keepsake.
Communal Aquamation
In a communal aquamation, multiple pets are respectfully placed together in the chamber. While the process is conducted with the same level of care and dignity, the ashes are not separated and therefore cannot be returned to individual families. Communal aquamation is often chosen by families who prefer an environmentally sustainable option but do not wish to retain their pet’s ashes.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve gathered helpful information to guide you through this process with clarity and care.
Your pet is respectfully placed into a stainless-steel vessel, separated from other pets in an individual cremation, and together with other pets in a communal cremation. The vessel is filled with warm water and alkali (potassium hydroxide). The mixture is 95% water and only 5% alkali, with the water portion doing most of the work to break down all the organic material until only the inorganic bone mineral remains. After a final water rinse and air drying of the remains, the bone is processed into a powder to be returned to you as “ashes.” This final process is the same as for traditional flame-based cremation.
No, alkaline hydrolysis uses a catalyst called an alkali, which is chemically opposite from an acid.
Compared to traditional flame-based cremation, aquamation does not burn any fossil fuels or directly emit any harmful greenhouse gases. The process is 90% more energy efficient and has 1/10th the carbon footprint. The water from the process is sterile and nutrient rich, which allows it to be returned to the ecosystem through the normal wastewater treatment facility.
As pet parents ourselves, we understand the trust you place in us to care for your pet. We take the utmost care to ensure that your pet is returned to you, from the moment they enter our care until they are returned to you. Every pet is identified and checked at each step of the process. A unique stainless steel ID tag is assigned and attached to every pet and stays with them throughout the entire process.
You are welcome to send a special item such as a blanket or toy with your pet. We will keep them with your pet until it is time to be cremated. Due to the nature of the aquamation process, only your pet can be cremated. All inorganic material will be washed and donated to a local shelter.
Aquamation is a gentler and more eco-conscious process than flame-based cremation. The aquamation process takes about 20 hours. An additional period is required to allow the bone remains to air dry naturally. You can expect to have your pet’s ashes within 10-14 days.
While the ashes from both processes are the mineral bone remains, the color and consistency are a bit different. Ashes from flame cremation are slightly more grey due to carbon discoloring from burning, while ashes from aquamation range in color from tan to white. The ash from aquamation is also a finer powder and, due to the lower temperature and gentle flow of water, there is about 20% more ash remains.
Yes, absolutely. Alkaline hydrolysis is a sterilization process, so all remains are pathogen-free.
Due to the length of time for aquamation (about 20 hours) and the closed stainless-steel vessel used in the process, we cannot offer this option.