Eco friendly?

A story in today's Daily Mail sheds light on a move by Kirklees Council to insist relatives dress deceased relatives who are to be cremated in 'environmentally friendly' clothing so that chemicals harmful to the environment are not released into the atmosphere during the process.
Unsurprisingly this has led to some complaints: the below is an extract from the article:

One man, who did not want to be named, was shocked to find his relative could not wear the 100 per cent cotton outfit she had chosen before she died.

He said: ‘We knew it had to be natural fibres so she chose a top and slip that was 100 per cent cotton. ‘But when the funeral director came we were told she would have to wear a special shroud. He pulled out a swatch of different colours to choose from.

‘We didn’t know what it looked like and when we went to see her in the chapel of rest, we couldn’t believe it. It was all fluffy and frilly. The deceased would not have wanted to have been seen dead in it - unfortunately she was.’

A drastic move it seems; is it one that can be justified? Does every aspect of life (and death) need to be subject to rigorous environmental controls? Or is this a step too far? What do you think?