Green funerals: Technological innovations and societal shifts toward sustainable death care practices

The death care industry faces many environmental, societal, and health-related challenges. Green funerals constitute an alternative and more sustainable death care practice, as they use nontoxic preservation techniques and biological material, thereby enabling a reduction in environmental degradation and protecting the wellbeing of the society. This study investigates the factors influencing consumer behavioral intention in the green funeral industry through a survey of 627 Italian consumers. The findings indicate that, in addition to rational considerations, anticipated negative emotions and personal moral norms significantly affect the adoption intention of green funerals. In addition, the obtained results reflect a broader cultural shift in post-secular societies where, along with a decline in strict adherence to religious dictates, there is a growing openness toward alternative funeral practices that align more closely with environmental values. Based on these outcomes, valuable implications are provided for scholars, green funeral industry players, and policymakers that can foster consumers' adoption of green death practices and a transition toward a more sustainable society. By investigating consumers' intention to adopt green funerals, this study constitutes a meaningful addition to the body of research on sustainable consumption, extending it to unsought product categories and shedding light on a socially relevant phenomenon.