A Worcester undertakers is battling climate change by providing 'eco-funerals'.

It is probably the last thing you think of but funerals have a damaging and long-lasting impact on the environment and that is why Jackson Family Funeral Directors have launched the new service.

For every ceremony they conduct they will plant a tree to offset the carbon footprint of the occasion.

Managing director Matthew Jackson said: “Climate change is very real. We are fast approaching a tipping point where change will be irreversible.

“As a business owner and a family man with two small children, I want to do as much as possible to leave a better planet for them.

“Tree planting for families is just the beginning of changes to the environmental impact left behind from serving families across England & Wales, but particularly Worcestershire. By planting a tree we are helping families remember their loved one whilst reducing the environmental costs of the funeral.”

Jackson’s began focusing on reducing their carbon footprint earlier this year as a reaction to government plans to reduce greenhouse gases by 78 per cent by 2035.

The undertakers plan to go one better by becoming fully carbon neutral by 2025, adding that not enough people are aware of just how damaging funerals can be.

The average cremation ceremony produces 240-290kg of carbon however a tree can offset this, releasing at least 300kg across its lifetime.

They hope to create a virtual memorial forest in memory of lost loved ones and for each tree planted the family will receive a certificate detailing location and species.

To provide this new service Jackson’s have partnered with eTrees who are dedicated to planting trees to combat rising carbon emissions.

A spokesperson said: “The time to act is now. The UK Government has set ambitious carbon reduction targets which will require a change of thinking in both the business community and people’s personal choices.

“Jackson’s have recognised that regardless of whether a funeral is a burial or a cremation, they have a long-term impact on the environment.”