Just a few years ago, many people had a knee-jerk reaction to the introduction of natural organic reduction (NOR), the form of disposition also known as human composting. The nickname certainly didn’t help open people up to the idea of using the totally new, much more environmentally friendly death care service.
Fast forward six years after Washington became the first state to legalize NOR and things have really started to change. One of the biggest surprises from the latest consumer surveys and death care industry data is the growing acceptance of natural organic reduction. While the number may still seem low, it’s the trajectory that’s impressive and suggests NOR will continue to expand.
Could Texas be one one of the next states to approve natural organic reduction?
The Idea of Environmental Legacy is Helping With NOR Adoption
A growing number of people are concerned about the environmental impact of death care services. It’s led to a new concept called environmental legacy, which is focused on making the body beneficial for the earth rather than polluting it.
This factor has become clear given that each year people are surveyed about death care more consumers say they are interested in green funeral services. The latest stats from the National Funeral Director Association (NFDA) found that 61.4% of people are interested in green death care. Cemeteries have reported an even larger increase in demand for green burial upwards of 72%.
Survey Says: Awareness and Acceptance is Increasing For Natural Organic Reduction
The movement toward green funeral services in general is bolstering support for natural organic reduction, but studies suggest that there are other factors at play.
Awareness is Leading to Acceptance
How familiar a person is with a funeral service has a huge influence in terms of acceptance. They may not choose it for themselves, but they see the value in having it available as an option.
For NOR, awareness is playing a pivotal role. Natural organic reduction is revolutionary. It is a departure from the standard forms of disposition that people are used to – cremation and burial. And because it was only being used in a handful of states, many people were totally unaware of NOR until recently.
The 2025 American Funeral Preferences survey noted that nearly half of the respondents (44.8%) had heard of natural organic reduction. What was even more eye-opening was that 40.4% of people said they would consider choosing NOR for themselves.
Those two stats together suggest that awareness is extremely important. When people get the facts about natural organic reduction they are very accepting of the practice to the point that nearly everyone who knows about it might choose it over other types of disposition.
Just as important was the finding that only 43% of people would consider embalming, a procedure that has been regularly performed with traditional burial and has the potential to release toxins into the ground.
Acceptance That is Leading to Preference
As more people become familiar with natural organic reduction and are accepting of the practice, more people are deciding it’s what they prefer.
A recent study from Wake Forest Law School actually included natural organic reduction as one of the six disposition options that survey takers could choose as their preference. Even though it was the newest form of disposition that is legal in a small number of states, 6% of people selected NOR as their top choice. It was more popular than water cremation, which has been around much longer. When asked about their first and second choice, 19% of respondents selected natural organic reduction as one of the top two, suggesting it’s a popular backup choice.
The study also noted that interest in the green death care service is growing at a fast pace. That is a huge contributing factor for the expansion of NOR.
It’s this type of response from consumers that is now prompting lawmakers to update their state laws and expand disposition services to include more eco-friendly options.
More States Are in the Process of Legalizing Natural Organic Reduction
The first few years after Washington made the bold move to approve NOR were understandably slow for expanding the service. No one had any idea what NOR was and there were a lot of misconceptions about natural organic reduction.
But the advocates were persistent, because we know what a beneficial service natural organic reduction is all-around. As people became more informed about how natural organic reduction works, they came to realize that it’s an extremely respectful service that is revolutionizing death care.
Not surprisingly, legalization of NOR has increased significantly in the last few years. Between 2024 and today the number of states that now allow natural organic reduction has doubled.
This year the number could jump substantially again. Already, there is active legislation in five states:
- Connecticut
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- New Mexico
- Oklahoma
And it’s very early in the year. There’s good reason to believe more states will introduce bills to at least begin exploring natural organic reduction as a death care option.
We’re hopeful that Texas will once again put legislation forward to legalize natural organic reduction. House Bill 2200 that was introduced in 2025 gained some traction but ultimately stalled. However, it was a definite step forward for making natural organic reduction legal in Texas.
Green death care advocates in the state are pushing hard for Texas to be one of the next places that allows natural organic reduction. Given the consumer trends that are happening, even many funeral homes are shifting their business models to make way for new services and stay competitive. If nothing else, the market factors could be what finally sways Texas legislators to approve natural organic reduction.
Cremation.Green has supported the use of natural organic reduction since it was first introduced. We have taken the initiative to help families in Texas arrange NOR services even though it isn’t yet practiced in the state. We’ve partnered with providers in states that have legalized natural organic reduction so that Texans still have the option.
If you’d like to know more about arranging natural organic reduction, please give us a call, text or email whenever it’s most convenient for you.
