HOME Finance Company wants the Vatuwaqa crematorium shut down permanently citing environmental reasons.
Chief executive officer Isikeli Tikoduadua made the comment yesterday following the official launch of a $2 million gas-fired crematorium in Nakasi.
"At HFC, as part of our social and corporate responsibility, we also look at supporting businesses that help the community and environment and this affiliation embrace both those factors.
"We are also developing products and services that will help entrepreneurs who want to invest in reducing carbon footprint, a greener environment and import substitute," Mr Tikoduadua said.
He said moves to close open fire crematoriums would save mangroves — which made perfect firewood for open fire cremation — and reduced danger to the marine ecosystem.
"It'll save the dogo (mangrove) and no trouble finding the crabs. That's why we want it closed," Mr Tikoduadua said.
He said HFC financed part of the country's first gas-fired crematorium with $1.2 million after the director Maurice Ruggiero was met with reluctance by banks.
"We realised that this was a unique opportunity to partner with someone who wanted to innovate and turn a dream into reality and also complement his existing business — Beautiful Monuments," Mr Tikoduadua said.
HFC launched a funeral insurance policy last year targeting the lower-income bracket working sector but the policy package had not gained the expected momentum even though premium was only $2 a week or $104 a year.
"We are trying to partner with employers to enable direct deductions that would make things a lot easier. And it's especially suited to Fijians who target the moneylender for funerals and almost dying on the other side when they have to pay the money back. We would encourage employers to take on the social and corporate responsibility by enabling inhouse deductions for this policy for staff who want it.
"The market we target for this policy involves those who are working in small, lower companies," Mr Tikoduadua said.