Oasis Coffins

We make beautiful, high quality products in an environment that gives people reliable employment and good working conditions.

Oasis & JC Atkinson

We have recently announced the successful acquisition of Oasis Coffins Ltd, a prominent name in the funeral industry. This significant milestone marks a crucial step forward in the company’s mission to expand its offerings and reinforce its position in the market.
The acquisition, a strategic move, is aimed at enriching our product range, enhancing capabilities, and reaffirming the businesses’ commitment to providing exceptional funeral solutions to valued customers. By joining forces with Oasis Coffins Ltd, JC Atkinson gains access to a broader spectrum of coffin designs and funeral-related products, expanding their portfolio even further. The integration of the two companies’ operations and resources will mean a more streamlined process, greater efficiencies, and an even more comprehensive and customer-focused experience.

Sourcing

All our Natural Materials are sourced from people who aware of our commitment to Fair Trade principles.

Natural Materials

Minimising water and electricity consumption, using natural dyes made from plant extracts.

Clever Design

Using design techniques to ensure effective packing of products for the sea transport.

Customers already familiar with the selection of Oasis coffins that sit within our Country Range will know these coffins use materials that are sustainably sourced, creating quality jobs for local people. Woven from bamboo, willow and seagrass, and adhering to Fair Trade principles, independently audited, they are hand-crafted in the Nilphamari district of Bangladesh, some 400km north of the capital city, Dhaka, and about a one-hour drive to the border with India. A popular natural choice, they can be interwoven with flowers and foliage. By acquiring the business, we will provide an even greater range of products to its customers and more comprehensive funeral solutions that honour the memory of loved ones with dignity and respect. They pledge to remain steadfast in upholding the highest standards of quality, innovation, and customer service the business is known for.

We use our technical expertise with sustainable natural materials to design and manufacture a wide range of remarkable coffins, caskets, urns and accessories for the funeral industry around the world. Our partners are then able to offer the most innovative products to their markets, supplied from genuinely ethical supply chains. Many of these amazing, yet undervalued materials, are found in economically marginalised communities, which then have opportunity to flourish, through employment in our Fair-Trade production facilities. We currently work with Jute (new!), Seagrass, Bamboo, Water Hyacinth, Banana Leaf, Rattan, Jute, Bamboo Fabric, Paulownia and other timbers

Bangladesh is a beautiful, lush green country, located on the Bay of Bengal, bordering Northeast India and Myanmar. The country is about the size of England and Wales, but has a population estimated at 160m people (compared to 56m for England and Wales), making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Much of the country is on a low-lying delta region and is already one of the first countries to suffer from the effects of global warming. The Oasis production facility is in the district of Nilphamari, some 400km north of the capital city, Dhaka, and about a one-hour drive to the border with India. This district suffers from seasonal unemployment, which creates a high incidence of family fragmentation and vulnerability, whilst parents search for employment.

Oasis Coffins began life in 2006 with a simple idea. It must be possible to develop great products using natural materials abundantly available in rural Bangladesh; to source these materials sustainably, create quality jobs for local people, and see their lives and the environment impacted for good. Now Oasis has its own dedicated product development and manufacturing unit in rural Bangladesh, where more than 150 people, many of them from economically marginalised backgrounds, have secure employment.

Since its inception Oasis Coffins has sought to operate in compliance with the 10 standards laid down by World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO). Oasis is a full member of the Bangladesh Fair Trade Forum, known as ECOTA. We were accepted as Guaranteed Members of the WFTO in July 2017 and as part of this have regular external assessments.

We are in a low-lying country (Bangladesh) and are very aware of the impact of global warming. We are passionately committed to leadership in sustainability and minimising the impact of our activities on the environment. Our Managing Director is a Chartered Environmentalist and a Member of the Society for the Environment in the UK and committed to best practice and external auditing of our environmental practices. We have pioneered the development of replicable small scale bamboo gardens and are able to propagate bamboo using branch cutting methods.

Materials we use in our coffins

Willow

The willow used in our coffins is sourced from managed and known sources from the “willow town” of Linyi in the Shandong province of China. The willow is hand-woven in Bangladesh, piece-by-piece onto a frame made from locally sourced bamboo. The characteristic brown colour of the willow is produced by either steaming the willow to draw out the natural brown colour, or using locally sourced, traditional and environmentally friendly natural dyes. Willow products are available in “chestnut brown” or “natural white” colour.

Bamboo

Our bamboo has been sourced from locally grown bamboo plants, which have been sustainably managed and harvested in Bangladesh according to best practice.
We work in partnership with over 80 local small-holder farmers, who supply Bamboo each year from their own gardens. We ensure that fair prices are paid, and that we have relationships with all our suppliers.
The Bamboo we use is a renewable resource and is an effective absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When the plants are managed well, new shoots grow each summer season. In addition, we have perfected “branch cutting” methods to propagate new seedlings.
The bamboo grows well on low quality land which is unsuitable for food production.

Seagrass

This is a freshwater plant, known locally as “Hogla”. Hogla grows abundantly along the banks of freshwater rivers and flood prone land and is available from managed resources in the Noakhali district of Bangladesh. Local producers harvest the grass twice a year, dry it and spin it into long pieces, often more than 20m in length. As the Hogla dries, its colour subtly changes from a green to a rich reddish brown. There is a rich tradition in Bangladesh of making woven products from this beautifully coloured material.
The material is woven in Bangladesh onto a locally sourced Bamboo frame to produce a distinctively beautiful product.

Jute

Jute fibre has been grown in Bengal for hundreds of years and traditionally used for rope making and weaving into fabric for heavy duty sacks and bags. Locally grown, the farmed fibre is harvested in the monsoon season and the stems soaked to remove the long fibres from a central jute-stick. The jute stick is often crushed and turned into particle board. The long fibres are dried and woven into a beautiful fabric. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first manufacturer ever to consider turning the fibre into a material for coffin making.
The bamboo grows well on low quality land which is unsuitable for food production.

We make beautiful, high-quality products in an environment that gives people reliable employment and good working conditions. Our products are in demand from people who are becoming increasingly conscious of their impact on the environment and others. It is encouraging to know that in bereavement, we can give life into people and a community in Bangladesh. We want people to know where their products are coming from, and to know that what they buy can benefit people elsewhere.

David Howe

Oasis Coffins Manager

Outside of the UK

If you are a member of the public and would like one of our products, please contact your local funeral director and specify that you would like to buy an Oasis Fair Trade product from one of our partners.

We have a growing network of partners in other markets. If you are interested in becoming a partner, please contact david@bluefarmglobal.com

We make beautiful, high quality products in an environment that gives people reliable employment and good working conditions.

Oasis & JC Atkinson

Sourcing

Natural Materials

Clever Design

Materials we use in our coffins

Willow

Bamboo

Seagrass

Jute

Outside of the UK

Netherlands

United States

J C Atkinson

Country Range

Illumna

Heartwood

Expressions

Reflections

Guardian

Forever Urns