GREEN is the new black for staff at Co-operative funeral services as they dress in a new eco-friendly uniform.

The company has so far rolled out the new-look at four of their Worcestershire branches designed to cut carbon emissions.

Simon Fisher, group general manager and president for the National Association of Funeral Directors, said this was the next step the company was taking to become more energy efficient.

He said: “Our ethically sourced uniform is another ex-ample of how we are making one more step towards contributing to our goal of creating a better and fairer world by trading responsibly.”

Eco-features of the clothes include an inner lining made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles, buttons made from the Corozo nut, a large fruit found in Ecuador, and dyes and processes which had been evaluated for pesticide usage and waste management.

The uniforms have been designed by specialist tailors Lyn Oakes, based in Sto-rport-on-Severn.

Simon Oakes, sales director, said: “We have sourced all the cloth from renewable sources, and it is a unique collection that gives the opportunity to look after the environment every day.”

The launch follows a host of other green initiatives by Co-operative, all designed to cut carbon emissions. These have included the introduction of banana leaf and cardboard coffins and becoming the first business in the UK to invest in an all-electric vehicle for its funeral care business.

Mr Fisher said: “Being green is more than just offering cardboard coffins – it’s about constantly searching for new and innovative ways that can reduce our daily environmental impact.”

The environmental strategy reaches across its operations, from food to financial services, showing their commitment to leading the way to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by coming up with innovative solutions such as the uniforms, as well as building wind farms on its own land and ‘Plan Bee’ to help reverse the reduction in the UK’s bee population.