Water cremation set to become legal funeral option in Netherlands
Water cremation, scientifically known as alkaline hydrolysis and commonly referred to in the Netherlands as resomation or resomatíe, is on the verge of becoming a legal method for processing human bodies in the Netherlands. The Dutch government is overhauling its funeral legislation to introduce the sustainable, eco-friendly alternative to burial and flame cremation.
The Ministry of the Interior, led by Minister Pieter Heerma, has drafted a new funeral law called the Destination of the Bodies of the Deceased Act. This new act will replace the Burial and Cremation Act, RTL Nieuws reported.
The bill was officially submitted to the Council of State in mid 2026. It will then go to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, and the Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, for a final vote. Legal experts and funeral organizations like ProCura anticipate that water cremation will officially become legal in late 2026 or early 2027.
The Dutch Health Council formally assessed water cremation based on safety, sustainability, and dignity. The Health Council first backed alkaline hydrolysis in 2020. They re-reviewed the data and released an updated brief confirming their recommendation.
While water cremation was approved, the Health Council and Cabinet explicitly rejected other alternative methods like human composting and cryomation due to a lack of safety, environmental data, and concerns over dignity.
The process mirrors natural decomposition but accelerates it using water, heat, and chemistry. The body is placed inside a pressurized stainless steel capsule. The machine fills with a mixture of 95% water and 5% potassium hydroxide.
The liquid is heated to roughly 150°C–160°C. High pressure is applied to stop the water from boiling, allowing it to systematically break organic molecules down into amino acids, salts, and sugars. After roughly 3 to 4 hours, the soft tissue is completely dissolved into a sterile liquid. Only the bones remain.
The bones become incredibly brittle and are ground down into a fine, pure white powder. This powder is given to the family in an urn, just like flame cremation ashes.
The primary driver behind public demand in the Netherlands is sustainability. Water cremation uses up to 80% to 90% less energy than traditional flame cremation and produces a fraction of the greenhouse gas emissions.
Under the proposed Dutch framework, the remaining sterile fluid will be treated under strict separate environmental permits before being safely handled by water treatment facilities. Any prosthetic implants, such as titanium hips or pacemakers, remain completely intact and can be cleanly recovered and recycled.