The Dirt on Natural Organic Reduction

Article from NFDA’s Memorial Business Journal, USA

Natural organic reduction has been gaining interest across the consumer spectrum. A number of articles have appeared in consumer media about the process, and at present, six states permit natural organic reduction and several others are considering bills. Washington passed legislation in 2019, and Return Home opened for business in the state in June 2021. Another 15 states have bills pending. Return Home provides an end-of-life service legally known as natural organic reduction. The company uses the term “terramation” and describes it as the process of a gentle transformation into soil after someone has died.

NFDA’s own research has found that consumers are curious about the process. How curious? Well, a look at Return Home’s presence on social media would explain why articles on the process to pop up from time to time. Each post garners thousands of likes, with one post actually receiving more than 52 million likes.

At the recent NFDA Cremation Success Seminar, Return Home COO Brienna Smith and services manager Katey Houston discussed their business model and how it fits into today’s end-of-life discussions.

Smith began by explaining the origin of the term “terramation.” “We do not call cremation ‘human incineration,’ and for us, the term ‘human composting’ is just a little bit difficult to take,” she said. “It’s easier for us to talk to our families having this earth transformation, or the process of becoming, so terramation covers that and makes it a little bit easier to talk to families about.”

Learn how to fit terramation into funeral home business model and into today's end-of-life discussions - read winter issue of THANOS magazine! 

You can read whole article online at pages 20-23

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