Electric retorts, conservation cemeteries, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction – right now there has been significant expansion for eco-friendly death care services across the U.S. The expansion comes as new market research shows the green funeral industry is set to grow from $2.3 billion to $6.7 billion by 2034. That’s massive growth that reflects the trends we’re now seeing.
What’s on the horizon for the green death care expansion? Below is a look at a number of trends that signify change isn’t just coming, it’s already here.
Conservation Cemeteries Are Catching On
Natural burial has really become a big interest for many people that don’t want to be cremated but also don’t want funeral services that have a significant impact on the environment. With natural burial there isn’t embalming, non-biodegradable materials or a concrete vault. In other words, you aren’t putting a lot of unnatural elements into the ground that will be there indefinitely and can pollute the earth.
The one caveat is there are fewer resources for natural burial compared to traditional burial. It’s one of the green death care infrastructure gaps that is being addressed at a rapid pace. One of the big differentiators between a typical cemetery and a conservation cemetery is that the burials have to be natural. The goal is to preserve the land rather than polluting it. No concrete vaults are used and the burials are natural.
The latest stats for the Green Burial Council put the number of green burial cemeteries in the U.S. and Canada at 470. However, they note that more cemeteries are beginning to do away with the vault requirement and more conservation cemeteries are expected in the coming years.
More Substantial Market For Biodegradable Caskets and Urns
Not surprisingly, the increased interest in natural burial and conservation cemeteries has led to huge growth in the market for biodegradable caskets and urns. These are absolute necessities for natural burial.
We’ve actually had biodegradable options for hundreds of years. In fact, the plain pine caskets that were once commonplace fit the parameters. There have also been biodegradable urns, however the options were limited.
Now we’re seeing a much wider variety in materials being used. Everything from willow branches to recycled paper are being made into biodegradable urns and caskets that are meant to be temporary. This is one part of the death care industry that will probably see significant growth in the next few years with very little reason to believe it will slow down any time soon.
Electric Retorts Are Becoming a Reality
Several years ago we discussed how electric cremation could catch on, and now it appears electric retorts are entering the industry in a significant way. Although cremation is more environmentally friendly than traditional burial, it still burns fossil fuels, generates emissions and releases air pollutants.
Electric retorts don’t come with those environmental concerns. Because electricity is powering the retort no fossil fuels are needed and there are no pollutants from combustion.
While the upsides are clearly there, making the switch to electric retorts is a major investment for crematories. You’re much more likely to find them at new facilities that had the option to install them right from the start compared to existing facilities that would be replacing traditional retorts.
However, there are a growing number of crematories that are expanding as the cremation rate increases, and they are opting to add electric retorts to their operation. When this is the case, the family will need to directly express what type of retort they want used if they have a preference.
Natural Organic Reduction is Becoming Legal in More States
We’ve been eagerly awaiting the news that more states are legalizing natural organic reduction, and that time is here. California and New Jersey are making legislative moves to legalize the practice. This is big news given the population sizes of the two states.
In California, the largest death care market in the U.S., laws were signed into place to legalize the practice of natural organic reduction in 2022. But NOR won’t be legally available until 2027. The good news is there hasn’t been real pushback to try to roll back the legalization, and now providers in the state are beginning to put things in place to offer the service in just over a year.
New Jersey recently became the 14th state to legalize natural organic reduction. In September 2025 the governor signed legislation into law that will make the service available in July 2026. State legislators are currently working out all of the regulatory details, which is a requirement for the law to actually go into effect so that NOR can be offered.
With each state that legalized natural organic reduction, the practice becomes more normalized and the chances of it expanding increases. This is in part due to some states laying the groundwork and framework for the new type of disposition. Other states can see what is being done to regulate the service to fast track their own process.
The great news for people who are interested in NOR is that the past year has seen a lot of progress. New Jersey was just the latest state to make it legal. Earlier in the year Minnesota, Maine and Georgia did the same. Alkaline hydrolysis is also now legal in 28 states.
Cremation.Green is proud to be the first carbon neutral funeral home in Texas and one of the core advocates for the expansion of eco-friendly funeral services in the state. If you are interested in learning more about your death care options in Texas, please give us a call or text at any hour for personal assistance.
