BITES // 10.06.22 // THE DEATH INDUSTRY MAKING A KILLING
Every month we collect six of the best pieces of content published on the web and share them with you because we believe that the most extraordinary thinking is inspired by looking to unexpected places. BITES is a reading list for those who want to bring a little of the outside, in.
OVERVIEW -
Death care rituals are moving through an epoch of change. The influx of deaths due to the pandemic has prompted Americans to evaluate their end-of-life plans and consider new and alternative burial options. End of life considerations are changing with people and many feel like the experience is “old fashioned” and “outdated” on top of having the feeling of being overwhelming and gloomy. Conversations surrounding death are becoming more common but are still considered taboo. The death industry is trying to change people’s mind about death care and make them feel more comfortable about the thought of death and give them comfort, control, and choice.
1. TECHNOLOGY IS PLAYING A ROLE IN MEMORIAL SERVICES
Some funeral homes already offered digital services like live streaming, since the pandemic more funeral homes are jumping on the bandwagon. In the last two years more than 50% of NDFA-member funeral homes started to give people the opportunity to live stream the memorial service to help families safely gather together. One program in particular, The Veteren’s Legacy Memorial (part of the National Cemetery Administration) is leveraging digital services to honor and remember the legacies of interred veterans. The organization is working with NCA partners with schools and higher education institutions to develop augmented reality history programs or “vignettes”, featuring veterans. They’re goal with this AR development is to create historical media that can be shared with the general public.
2. CREMATION IS ON THE RISE
According to The National Funeral Directors Association, they predict that by 2035 80% of the U.S. population will choose cremation as their preferred form of burial. While cost and savings are playing a role in this choice, environmental factors are a major factor in the decision. Many are opting for cremation because it takes us little to space in the ground to help protect and conserve burial space. A third factor contributing to the rising interest is that there are less ties to religious institutions, especially younger Americans. Many are wanting to have a choice and control how they want their remains to be handled, not have someone else tell them what to do. More and more Americans are becoming comfortable with the idea of cremation and the power that it can give them. Some are even choosing to go even more eco-friendly and put their ashes into a biodegradable urn where their remains are mixed with soil and planted into the ground and they can become a tree with tree pod burials.
3. BODY COMPOSTING A NEW DEATH CARE ALTERNATIVE
Human composting is an accelerated method of human decomposition. It is scientifically referred to as Natural Organic Reduction (NOR). The body is placed in a steel container along with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw. Oxygen and heat are applied to the container to speed the process of decomposition. It was first legalized in Washington in 2019 with California and New York following suit. The green funeral and natural burial communities have embraced this form of burial. On the other hand, religious institutions have less enthusiasm and have denounced this form of burial. There are a few companies out there that are already catering to this business: Recompose, Return Home, Herland Forest, and Earth Funeral.
4. FROM SNEAKERS TO DEATH — DTC CREMATION
Keith Crawford and David Odusanya, two former Nike brand executives, are wanting to change consumer behavior and perception of the funeral process through their company, Solace, with the goal of becoming the first national cremation brand. They wanted to innovate the industry to help simplify and modernize the process from the beginning to end. Founded in 2019, customers have the option to digitally arrange for and pay for the cremation of a body all in a few minutes and deal with any upselling that many associate with funeral homes. Solace got a big boost last year and was able to raise $1.75 million. The company charges $895 for its cremation services — compared to the $2,500 national average. The company has begun to run a series of animated short films in which Carter, Crawford and Odusanya share stories about the loved ones they have lost.
5. RECIPES ON GRAVESTONES
Maintaining family recipes is more than simply a nostalgic habit. It helps us to maintain a sense of connection to our ancestors and to the places that shaped their lives and thus continue to shape our own as well. Families have memorialized their loved ones with the deceased’s most cherished recipes carved in stone. With recent advancements in gravestone technology, like lasers that can carve directly into the stone, have made it easier to leave a more personalized memorial. Some are even choosing to include QR codes that lead to memorial websites. Recipes on gravestones are a relatively new phenomenon in the long history of cemetery iconography. Most of the recipes feature desserts but give family members a way to remember their loved ones and still feel like they have them around, especially in the kitchen. Rosie Grant, TikTok influencer @ghostlyarchive, shares headstone recipes. She has drawn in thousands of views from a devoted audience fascinated by the intersection of cemeteries and cooking. Grant said “the immortalization of recipes through epitaphs is actually more widespread than it seems. The practice exists in countries around the world, and in recent years these recipes have had a knack for going viral on social media.”
6. VIRTUAL IMMORTALITY
Korean startup DeepBrain AI has created ‘Re;memory’ — a service that will virtually recreate deceased family members using AI technology. A person is first interviewed for three hours in a studio, and the Re;memory service will collect all the visual and voice data it needs to recreate a digital version of the person. Clients will be able to “meet” their virtual family members at the Re;memory showroom for 30 minutes at a time. The startup says it aims to ease the worries of those who fear losing their loved ones. DeepBrain AI CEO Eric Jang said, “The launch of the Re; memory service is a part of AI human technology being reborn as a warm technology that comforts people.” Technological advancements have made it possible for companies to dabble in ‘digital/virtual immortality’. We are seeing tech companies from around the world help people preserve their digital footprints after they die. While there are concerns about the potential misuse or misinterpretation of data of the deceased, any efforts to digitalise people after they have passed should first be met with the consent of the person while still alive.Services like Re;memory could help bereaved people to grieve and may possibly reduce feelings of isolation.
TAKEAWAY-
When the conversations surrounding death are still not being fully talked about, people aren’t feeling the need for it to change. Death comes with many emotions and while it comes with grief, funeral homes and death care companies can help provide people with peace of mind. But the influx of death due to the pandemic has prompted people to evaluate their end-of-life plans and consider new and alternative burial options. While still taboo, people are becoming more comfortable with the notion of death and are not afraid to talk about what they want to have happen to them after they die and are looking for companies and burial options that create a positive experience for them and their loved ones.
