About Sanctum

While selling my plant-based casket sprays to the funeral industry, I noticed how excessive and wasteful traditional funerals were, not to mention toxic for the environment.

Being passionately mindful of the planet, I was intrigued by alternative funeral choices, specifically natural burials. My background in fashion and textiles led me to start designing shrouds in July 2023, experimenting with luxurious organic fabrics and vegetable dyes.

The result is Sanctum, a brand of high-end scented shrouds for the eco-conscious funeral industry, including natural burial, cremation, aquamation and human composting, as well as for home funeral ceremonies. I source a variety of high-quality organic fabrics which are soft to the touch and biodegradable. I tint these fabrics with colourful, non-toxic plant dyes and infuse them with my proprietary plant-based antibacterial formula, which  neutralizes malodor and replaces it with pleasant, fresh scents of nature. The result for families is a comforting, beautiful, aromatic cocoon wrapped around their loved one which will carry them to their final resting place.

Sanctum’s mission is to enhance the sensory experience of alternative funerals for loved ones while eliminating toxins and pollutants from traditional burial practices. My company will accomplish this by providing luxury, eco-conscious shrouds made with renewable plant resources to families looking for a more organic, enriched funeral experience.

 - Virginia Marcolin, Founder of Sanctum