Global trends in funerals - Celebrants Association of New Zealand

Global trends in funerals including meeting the needs of
environmentally conscious families
More than ever, now we can make purchasing
decisions that make our footprint smaller.
For families where this is important why not help
them make the final footprint a small one too?
Debut
Values
Major project BProdDes
From idea to business
Return to Sender
Return to Sender
Global trends (Western)
From masculine to feminine
Personalisation
Personalisation
Personalisation
Family directed funerals
What is the role of the
funeral director?
Casket shops
Shrinking margins!
Green Funerals
Green Funerals
Green funerals
Online services
Online services
Online services
Online services
Do it all on the web?
Event-based funerals
Event-based funerals
Event-based funerals
Charge for complexity!
A New Zealand example
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/huge-turn-shark-attackvictim-s-funeral-video-5359673
In a world where some people …
• Handle their own funerals
• Buy their own coffin
• Want everything to be
green
• Want an event, not a
service
• Only need a computer to
attend
• Want a venue, not a chapel
Celebrants
What will happen in New Zealand?
And what if anything will this mean to the role
of the Celebrant?
Are there new opportunities arising?
What is an eco funeral?
• Burial vs cremation
• Natural burials
• Coffins / caskets
• Urns
• Other considerations
• The business case (LH)
Cremation – energy consumption
Coke
10,360 Mj
Traditional
wood
8,000 Mj
Gasifier wood 1,600 Mj
Gas
1,080 Mj (NZ)
Diesel
898 Mj
Electricity
594 Mj
Cremation - pollutants
•
Greenhouse gases CO2, NOx
•
CO, Hg, SO2, HF, HCI
•
Heavy metals
•
POP (Persistant Organic Pollutants)
•
Particulate matter
•
Use best equipment possible
•
Scrutinise what is burned
“The major emissions are nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulphur
dioxide, particulate matter, mercury, hydrogen fluoride (HF), hydrogen
chloride (HCl), NMVOCs, other heavy metals, and some POPs.”
Alternatives
Promession
Resomation
Freeze dry / vibration disintegration
Hot water and potassium hydroxide
Sea burial
Could use more energy than cremation
Burials
Conventional
•
Land use issues
•
Resource use high (plus
vaults)
•
Maintenance
•
Embodied energy 3,250mj
(USA)
•
Eco footprint 241m2 (USA)
Natural Burials – Mark Blackham
Summary
Natural Burial (most natural)
Cremation (most popular)
Coffins started off eco …
Traditional shape pre 17th century
Wood 5,000 years ago
Tree trunk coffins (Europe)
Stone – sometimes with wood liner
Greeks using stone, terracotta and wood from 700 BC
USA
3,000,000 kg – copper/bronze
80,000,000 kg steel
70,000 m2 – hardwood, 4000 houses
1,500,000 Tonnes concrete
Resource depletion
Is casket manufacturing a
wise use of what’s left?
resource depletion compared to oil (40 years)
Coffins downunder
Resin 250,000 kg PA
Halogenated Plastics like PVC restricted in 275 countries
Nickel listed as ground contaminant and hazardous air pollutant
VOC effect on workers and atmosphere
What is an eco-coffin?
Less materials
More materials
Less energy
More energy
Less toxins
More toxins
Coffin overview
• Was the timber sustainably
grown?
• Has material use been kept to a
minimum?
• Is the timber treated?
• Are the finishes / coatings
natural?
• Are toxic materials used?
• Have offsets been applied?
• Are there alternatives?
The plywood advantage
• More strength from less
wood used than solid
timber or MDF
• Less glue than MDF
• Natural grain intact –
doesn’t need to be
covered with artificial
wood grain
• Natural oils / waxes work
“Plywood is the least wasteful form of conversion of timber because the
round log is peeled with knives -- no sawdust and no half rounds off the
edge” David Trubridge
Urns
Other considerations
Other aspects of the funeral can affect
the overall funeral impact
• Monumentals
• Flowers
• Catering
• Printing
• Carbon offsetting
Finding the green in shoppers
Sustainability trends and
new shopper insights
The Green Consumer
Understanding the Green Consumer
Who's buying eco-coffins?
Ph 0800 COFFIN (0800 263 346)
www.returntosender.co.nz