Sustainability
No plastic, no metal, no MDF and no synthetic components.
No Metal. No Plastic. None.
There are no screws, nails, clips or staples anywhere in the casket. It holds its shape through its own engineered structure, and has been load tested to 320kg.
​
It would have been easier the other way. A small screw here, a plastic clip there. Becs Bartells, the industrial designer behind Outside The Box, was told to use them more than once. She didn't.
What It's Made From
High performance ecological board, developed specifically for this casket. It combines responsibly sourced virgin and recycled paper fibres, using kraft grades that aren't suitable for timber milling and would otherwise go to waste.
​
All fibres, recycled and virgin, are FSC certified, so any new paper comes from sustainably managed forests.
​
The handles are handmade from unbleached hessian. Made and hand assembled in New Zealand.
The Inks
Printed lid designs use UV cured inks that are VOC free, vegan and GreenGuard Gold certified. They also meet EN71‑3, the European safety standard for children's toys, so they're free of heavy metals.
Burial and Cremation
In 2019, Outside The Box became the first corrugated board casket certified by Natural Burials NZ.
Our caskets meet strict ecological standards for natural burial grounds and are fully biodegradable, breaking down naturally without leaving harmful residues in the soil. At up to 20kg lighter than a traditional casket, they're also easier to carry, handle and transport.
