Àltima awarded for its commitment to the environment
Barcelona, December 2015 – The Respon.cat organisation, which promotes the development of Corporate Social Responsibility in Catalonia, held its first awards ceremony in Barcelona with the support of the Council of Chambers of Commerce of Catalonia and the Department of Business and Employment of the Generalitat. The event took place on December 14th and was attended by the acting Minister of Business and Employment, Felip Puig.
In this inaugural edition, Respon.cat recognised the environmental conservation and wildlife protection programme of the Comarcal Park Cemetery of Roques Blanques, which is located within the Collserola Natural Park and has been managed by Àltima for the past 25 years. In this protected area, the funeral company participates in various projects related to the protection of native flora and fauna. Additionally, the cemetery promotes energy-saving and pollution-prevention policies, using electric vehicles within the grounds for funeral services, controlling the atmospheric emissions of cremation furnaces, and encouraging the use of controlled timber for coffins.
Roques Blanques also implements pioneering ecological initiatives for the burial of ashes in Spain, promoting the planting of native Mediterranean trees and providing a sustainable and environmentally respectful response to the growing demand for cremations. These burial practices include the Forest of Calm, an area where biodegradable urns can be buried alongside a planted tree with an identifying plaque, and the Family Trees, which extends the idea of the Forest of Calm by allowing up to five biodegradable urns to be buried around a larger tree.
“We are very grateful for this award, which recognises our efforts in defending and promoting the environment, a commitment we have upheld at Àltima for over 25 years,” said Joan Ventura, Director of Roques Blanques. He added, “Such initiatives serve as an additional incentive to continue improving and implementing projects that align with our environmental commitment.”
Comarcal Park Cemetery of Roques Blanques
Located at the foot of the Collserola mountain range in the municipality of Papiol (Baix Llobregat), the Comarcal Park Cemetery of Roques Blanques is unique in Spain due to its characteristics. Designed by architects and landscape designers Batlle i Roig and a finalist in the FAD Architecture Awards, the cemetery opened in 1984 with an aesthetic that seamlessly integrates funeral constructions with nature, mimicking cemeteries in central Europe by avoiding niche streets and prioritising ground burials.
Spanning 50 hectares, Roques Blanques has been known since its inception for implementing environmentally respectful initiatives, pioneering in Spain. In addition to the Forest of Calm and Family Trees, Roques Blanques features the Garden and Fountain of Rest, a Zen-style space that allows for the controlled dispersal of ashes and the management of non-ecological urns, thereby preventing their abandonment in natural areas. Besides these ecological burial options, Roques Blanques carries out several initiatives to protect threatened native flora and fauna—such as bats, amphibians, dark hedgehogs, and common squirrels—promote energy resource savings, prevent pollution, and reduce environmental impacts, including waste recycling, controlling emissions from furnaces, and using controlled timber for coffins. Roques Blanques also encourages visitors to use natural flowers that can be recycled as fertiliser.