Green Funeral Data

Over the years green options have become mainstream and are no longer "niche". When an overwhelming majority of consumers want greener options, it's hard to call it a "trend".

The 2020 NFDA Consumer Awareness and Preferences Survey found that "61.7% of respondents would be interested in exploring green funeral options" for a variety of reasons. Only 13.6% of respondents would not be interested in greener funeral options.

After cremation (which has many green options, especially for urns) and casketed burial, green burial is the 3rd most popular method of body disposition.

People are ready for meaningful, memorable funeral options that leave a smaller mark on the planet.

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One of the main reasons people select cremation is for the environmental benefits. Traditional burial has a significant environmental impact and a majority of modern funeral consumers truly value minimizing that carbon footprint.

But cremation has a footprint of its own. The type of cremation, the equipment used, and the cremation container that is burned must all be considered.

All of our wicker caskets, coffins, and containers are designed to be eco-friendly from construction through use. Independent lab testing showed that our wicker containers burn more efficiently, more fully, and at lower temperatures than typical cardboard cremation containers. The Simple Bamboo Container and Four-Point Bamboo Casket are designed to ship flat-packed, while our other caskets ship nested to reduce the carbon footprint from shipping.

Cardboard cremation containers (and the other common non-wood options, like particle-board or pressboard covered in cloth) emit a myriad of high-weight polymers and dark smoke when burned, including carcinogenic styrene. Using a Passages International cremation container keeps these out of our communities.

All Passages caskets and containers are certified Fair Trade, meaning they are sustainable, eco-friendly, and bring opportunity and education to the producers. These products adhere to 10 strict principles of Fair Trade, which you can learn more about here.

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When planning a funeral the conversation often starts with one question: cremation or burial? Too often with cremation, the conversation ends there as well. Cremation is not the whole funeral - it is preparation before final disposition, similar to embalming.

The NFDA Estimates that the cremation rate in 2020 was 56%. But what happens to the cremated remains after cremation? According to the 2021 NFDA Consumer Preferences Survey:

With these numbers, we know that at least 24% of all funerals are a scattering, and our scattering tubes and biodegradable urns are made for these families.

Our products allow families to have a more dignified and personal scattering memorial. Whether families choose to scatter at sea, lay remains to rest in the earth, or want to Be a Tree with the Biotree Urn, we have an eco-friendly option to fit your needs.

Passages International has been helping funeral homes provide meaningful, memorable memorials to their client families for over 20 years. Our products are designed to help create a memorial that truly represents a loved one and honors a life lived.

We partner with funeral homes around the world to provide sustainably-made eco-friendly funeral options for natural burial, cremation, personalized memorials, and more. Contact us to learn how we can help you create modern services for non-traditional funerals.