The Rising Popularity of Cremation
Most people view the 19th century as the birth of the modern funeral industry with the newly mechanized manufacturing of caskets to the reemergence of the embalming process to preserve the corpse. By the early 20th, funeral homes, such as the ones we see today, became commonplace. This model has not been deviated from except for the wider acceptance of cremation some time during the 1970s. So, for more than one hundred years the outline of caring for and remembering the dead has mostly remained the same.
Recent innovations and the shifting of outlooks on death has created a change in the way we plan our funerals and how we want our bodies cared for. Many do not like the environmental factors involved in a burial funeral and are looking for ways to combat the footprint they leave behind. The enormous amount of materials put into the earth coupled with the chemicals used in the embalming process are a huge turn off for many. While cremation is not 100% environmentally friendly, it takes approximately two SUV tanks of fuel to cremate a body, the process is still a fairly viable option for those looking to lessen their impact on the environment.
There are also numerous ways to memorialize you or your loved one through cremation. You can keep their ashes with you in an urn, or you could bury them using less space and materials in their urn. You could turn their ashes into jewelry, paperweights and other keepsakes to keep with you forever. You could bury or plant them in your garden or on your land. Some people prefer to have their ashes scattered in their favorite places when they are gone, and their loved ones can visit these places to remember all the good times they once had. There are so many different options available today to memorialize your loved one through cremated ashes that many people are choosing this method simply for the more personalized effect.
Cremation has recently overtaken burials as the preferred method for memorializing our loved ones in the United States. In 2015, 48% of Americans choose cremation with only 45% opting for the more traditional burial process. In 2018, the National Funeral Directors Association estimated that 53.5 % of their clients choose to use cremation, while only 40.5% of them opted for a traditional burial service. Many experts are also estimating that by 2035 the cremation rate is expected to reach a whopping 80%. Cremation has now become the new normal for many Americans as they consider options for their funeral services.
In today’s world, many people are searching for something new, unique, and environmentally friendly. They want to be a part of the change and be on the cutting edge of everything. And, as science pushes out new and innovative ideas to handle these challenges, we should expect to see changes in what we consider to be normal and traditional processes. Deathcare is no exception to these new innovations. There are many reasons people are looking to step outside of the box with their funeral services. And, wanting to lessen their environmental impact and personalizing their funeral services are two of the biggest factors that are driving people to look for other viable options. It will be exciting to see what the future may hold for what we once considered the traditional funeral service and how much things could possibly change.