nor education 9 min read

By TerraCare

What Do Funeral Directors Think About Terramation? (colloquially referred to as human composting)

Funeral directors hold widely varying views on terramation — from enthusiastic early adopters to cautious skeptics to traditional holdouts who prefer not to engage with it at all. The honest answer is that funeral directors aren’t a monolith, and the industry’s relationship with natural organic reduction (NOR) is actively evolving. This article gives a fair look at the real range of perspectives, the barriers driving hesitancy, and what is changing as NOR grows.

What do funeral directors think about terramation?

Funeral director opinions on terramation span a wide range: enthusiastic early adopters who see NOR as a competitive differentiator, cautious evaluators waiting for the business case to mature, skeptics concerned about uncertain consumer demand and capital costs, and traditional holdouts who prefer not to offer it. The majority of funeral directors in legal states have not yet added NOR, primarily due to equipment costs, regulatory complexity, and low consumer awareness in their markets.

  • Funeral directors are the primary gateway to NOR for most families — if they don't offer it or discourage it, families lose access even in states where it is legal.
  • Early adopters in Washington and Colorado built significant competitive advantages and brand recognition by offering NOR before competitors, validating the category in those markets.
  • The most common barriers to adoption are capital cost of equipment, regulatory complexity, and uncertainty about consumer demand — not philosophical opposition.
  • CANA's NOROC certification ($300, 4.0 CE hours, self-paced online) is the industry-standard training credential for funeral directors adding NOR.
  • Legislative expansion, growing consumer awareness, and equipment support from companies like TerraCare Partners are all actively reducing the barriers to adoption.

Why Does Funeral Director Opinion Matter?

For most families, the funeral director is the primary gateway to disposition services. Unless a family goes directly to a standalone NOR provider, they will encounter NOR through a funeral home. If funeral directors don’t offer it, don’t know about it, or actively discourage it, families lose access — even in states where it is perfectly legal.

This makes the funeral director community’s attitude toward NOR one of the most important factors shaping whether NOR becomes a mainstream option or remains a niche service for early adopters in a handful of states.

As of April 2026, natural organic reduction is legal in 14 states: Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont, California, New York, Nevada, Arizona, Maryland, Delaware, Minnesota, Maine, Georgia, and New Jersey. In those states, the pace of adoption by funeral homes varies considerably.

What Does the Range of Funeral Director Opinion Look Like?

The Early Adopters and Champions

Some funeral directors saw NOR coming before it was legal and positioned themselves to be first movers. In Washington State, where NOR became legal in 2019 (SB 5001, effective May 2020), several funeral homes were ready to offer the service within months of the law taking effect. These directors tend to describe NOR as a natural extension of the funeral home’s mission — serving families at a pivotal moment — and as a competitive differentiator.

For these operators, the arguments are consistent: consumer demand is real and growing, the environmental values align with where their client base is heading, and being an early adopter creates brand recognition and loyalty that later entrants can’t replicate easily.

The Cautious Evaluators

A larger group of funeral directors is interested in NOR but hasn’t moved yet. Their hesitancy is usually practical rather than philosophical: How much does the equipment cost? How long does the regulatory pathway take? How large is the consumer demand in my specific market? What happens if something goes wrong with the process?

This group is watching closely. They may have attended a NFDA convention session on NOR, looked at equipment options, or spoken to peers who have launched the service. When conditions in their market and their financial position align, many plan to add NOR. They are waiting for the risk-reward math to work.

The Skeptics

Some funeral directors are skeptical — not of NOR as a concept, but of its near-term business viability. Their concerns: consumer awareness is still low in their markets, particularly in rural areas or regions with strong traditional burial preferences. They question whether the capital investment is justified given uncertain demand. Some worry about reputational risk in communities where NOR is unfamiliar or where religious constituencies might object.

These are legitimate concerns, not just resistance to change. A funeral home in a small, religiously conservative community operates in a different market than one in an urban center with a strong environmental culture. The same service isn’t viable in every market at the same time.

The Traditional Holdouts

A smaller but real segment of the funeral director community simply prefers to stay with traditional offerings — burial and cremation — and has no plans to add NOR. For some, this is a business decision: they don’t see the demand, don’t want the capital outlay, and are content with their current service mix. For others, there may be personal or philosophical reservations.

This perspective is not necessarily wrong for every funeral home in every market. But it does create access gaps for families in states where NOR is legal but most funeral homes don’t offer it.

What Makes Funeral Directors Interested in Offering NOR?

When funeral directors decide to add NOR, several factors tend to drive that decision:

Consumer demand. The most compelling argument is the simplest: customers are asking. Funeral directors who have fielded multiple inquiries about NOR — particularly from younger families, environmentally conscious communities, or clients researching end-of-life options online — tend to take those inquiries seriously. Demand may be small today, but the trajectory is upward.

Revenue diversification. The 2025 NFDA Cremation and Burial Report shows a national cremation rate of 63.4%, compared to 27% in 2000. That shift reduced funeral home revenue from caskets and full-service burial packages. NOR represents a premium alternative disposition option that typically commands higher revenue than direct cremation while meeting a genuine consumer need.

Competitive differentiation. In competitive markets, offering NOR sets a funeral home apart. For funeral homes that want to be the provider serious families choose when they’re making an intentional end-of-life decision — not just the nearest option — NOR is a meaningful differentiator.

Environmental alignment. Many funeral directors share their clients’ environmental values. Some have made personal choices aligned with sustainability in other areas of their business and their lives, and see adding NOR as consistent with those values.

What Makes Funeral Directors Hesitant?

The barriers are real and worth stating honestly:

Equipment cost. Purpose-built NOR equipment represents a significant capital investment. Smaller independent funeral homes operating on thin margins — a large share of the industry — find this barrier particularly challenging. There is no getting around it: launching NOR requires financial commitment.

Training requirements. Operators need formal training to run NOR vessels safely and competently. The CANA NOROC certification — available at cremationassociation.org — is the recognized pathway: $300, 4.0 continuing education hours, self-paced online, valid 5 years. While this is not an enormous burden, it requires time and commitment, and someone needs to stay current on evolving best practices.

Regulatory complexity. Each legal state has its own licensing requirements for NOR. Some states have streamlined their frameworks; others have left funeral directors navigating ambiguous rules. Operators worried about compliance risk may wait for clearer regulatory guidance before investing.

Geographic limitations. In 36 states, NOR is simply not legal. A funeral director in one of those states has no option to offer NOR regardless of interest. This geographic limitation depresses overall adoption rates substantially.

Consumer awareness gaps. In many markets, most families still haven’t heard of terramation. Investing in a service that requires consumer education before consumers can request it is a harder business case than investing in a service people already know they want.

What Is Changing?

Several forces are shifting the landscape:

Legislative momentum. NOR has gained 14 legal states since Washington’s 2019 law, with more states actively considering legislation. Oklahoma’s HB 3660 passed the Oklahoma House in March 2026 and is pending in the Oklahoma Senate. As legalization spreads, the geographic barrier falls for more funeral homes.

Growing consumer awareness. NOR has received significant media coverage in outlets ranging from the New York Times to NPR to regional newspapers. Consumer awareness is growing steadily, which changes the demand calculation for funeral directors.

Equipment and training support. Companies like TerraCare Partners work with funeral homes to provide NOR equipment and operational training, reducing the barrier to entry for funeral homes that want to launch the service but are uncertain about the operational side.

CANA’s professional infrastructure. The CANA NOROC certification program gives funeral directors a clear, accessible training pathway. The growth of NOROC certification signals a professionalizing industry that is taking NOR seriously.

For more on why adoption has been slower than advocates predicted, see our article on why the funeral industry is slow to adopt terramation. For consumer guidance on finding a NOR provider, see our complete guide to natural organic reduction.

FAQ

Are there industry associations that support terramation?

Yes. CANA (Cremation Association of North America) offers the NOROC certification and has positioned itself as a resource for funeral directors adding NOR. The NFDA (National Funeral Directors Association) has hosted NOR education sessions at its annual convention and has published consumer-facing materials on alternative disposition. Neither organization mandates a position for or against NOR — they provide resources and education.

Do funeral directors need a special license to offer terramation?

Yes, in most states with NOR laws. States generally require funeral homes to obtain specific licensing or authorization to offer NOR, separate from their base funeral establishment license. The requirements vary by state. In Washington, operators must be licensed as a “natural organic reduction provider.” Other states have similar structures. Ask your state’s funeral regulatory board for specifics.

Are large funeral home chains adding terramation?

Large consolidators like Service Corporation International (SCI) and Carriage Services have the capital and scale to add NOR — and some have begun exploring or offering it. Independent funeral homes, which make up the majority of U.S. funeral businesses by count, face more variable access to capital but often have more agility to adopt new services when they choose to.

How can a family find a funeral home that offers terramation?

Check providers in your state who are specifically licensed for NOR. TerraCare Partners works with funeral homes to offer NOR, and their network can be a starting point for families looking for a local provider. See also our state-by-state guide for NOR provider information.

Learn more about terramation providers near you — contact TerraCare Partners

Ready to explore terramation options? Contact TerraCare Partners

Sources

  1. NFDA 2025 Cremation and Burial Report — https://nfda.org/news/statistics
  2. CANA NOROC Certification — https://www.cremationassociation.org/noroc.html
  3. NFDA — consumer resources on alternative disposition — https://nfda.org/consumer-resources
  4. Washington State Funeral and Cemetery Board — NOR licensing — https://doh.wa.gov/
  5. Green Burial Council — provider certification — https://www.greenburialcouncil.org/
  6. Oklahoma HB 3660 legislative status — Oklahoma Legislature — https://www.oklegislature.gov/
  7. Complete guide to natural organic reduction — /blog/nor-education/
  8. NOR state legal guide — /blog/state-guides/