About Outside The Box Caskets: The Story Behind the Design
Outside The Box Caskets is the creation of New Zealand Industrial Designer Becs Bartells, who wanted to make a more personal and sustainable option for families saying goodbye. The idea started more than a decade ago, when Becs was preparing for her Nana’s funeral and was surprised by the limited range of caskets available, especially anything that felt personal or environmentally friendly.
With a background in Industrial Design and experience exhibiting at the Milan Furniture Fair, she set out to create something different. An eco cardboard casket that was beautifully made, kind to the planet, and did not feel like a traditional casket.
After two years of design, development and testing, she launched Outside The Box Caskets in 2019. It became the first cardboard casket in New Zealand to be certified by Natural Burials NZ.
The result is an award-winning design, recognised with Gold for Design Innovation of the Year at the PIDA Australasian Packaging Innovation & Design Awards and a Gold Good Design Award from Good Design Australia.
Each casket is printed with eco friendly inks and made here in New Zealand. Due to growing demand, Outside The Box Caskets expanded into Australia in 2024. You can find them through Funeral homes across the country. Just ask for Outside The Box Caskets by name.
Want to know the full story of how it all began from a garage workshop to award winning design?
