According to many surveys, cremation is America’s number one disposition choice. This is a stark difference from just 50 years ago, when people chose a cremation service only 5 percent of the time.

In fact, cremation has grown in popularity so fast that alternatives to traditional cremation services are emerging. Direct cremation is one such alternative and offers several benefits to families who, for whatever reason, aren’t interested in a traditional ceremony.

While data for direct cremations isn’t tracked as closely in the U.S., other western countries are reporting a steady rise in direct cremation popularity. That trend is taking root in the U.S. as well. There are several reasons for this, including:

Funeral expenses have rocketed upwards over the decades. Everything is much more expensive than it was 25 years ago – a little more than 50 percent more expensive, based on average consumer goods. The price of funeral arrangements has increased by 112 percent in that same timeframe. Funeral caskets have increased by about the same amount, so the cost of a traditional funeral service and burial is way beyond what the average family can manage.

Direct cremation is the lower cost option for those families. There’s no casket to purchase, no funeral home to rent, and no memorial service to arrange. This removes the major expenses from the disposition process.

Families can expect to pay somewhere between $800 and $2,000 for direct cremation. Compare this to traditional funerals and burials, which cost about $8,000 on average, or a traditional cremation, which is a bit less than that. The actual cost depends on where services will be held, and there are areas where a traditional funeral and burial is more than $12,000.

With numbers that high, it is easy to understand why cost is the number one reason more people are considering direct cremation.

A direct cremation provider oversees every part of the process. The only thing loved ones need to do is schedule service and arrange for receiving the cremains. This can be done within minutes online, and there’s no need to speak to anyone, if that’s what’s preferred.

For many families, it may be impossible to easily arrange a funeral. If a loved one passes away in a place that’s thousands of miles away from other family members, there may not be anyone nearby to visit the funeral home in-person. That’s a problem because funeral homes typically require an in-person consultation before services can be arranged.

With direct cremation, there’s no need to be physically present during any part of the process.

Direct cremation providers are disposition experts, so they know what paperwork families will need during and following cremation. Multiple cremation approval forms are necessary to finalize disposition. A family member will need to complete them, but direct cremation services can provide them and help clients fill them out.

Direct cremation companies can also procure copies of the death certificate and help acquire any forms for benefits purposes, including VA, Social Security, FEMA and others.

The funeral’s cultural role has changed over the decades. There was a time when funerals were a social event that included many people on the outside edge of the decedent’s social or professional circle.

Many modern families no longer embrace this aspect of funerals. They want a private ceremony that only involves close family members and friends – a ceremony where playing host while managing grief isn’t necessary.

Direct cremation is 100 percent private. No one is required to attend disposition in person and memorials can be organized for any time in the future, so there’s no pressure to invite a bunch of people for what should be a personal experience.

Memorials are extremely easy to manage following direct cremation. For obvious reasons, traditional memorial services must be carried out immediately if they precede burial. With cremation, loved ones can schedule a memorial with family and friends well after death occurs. It’s common for families to wait up to a year before organizing a celebration of life. This flexibility gives families time to process the loss and come up with a memorial that properly honors their loved one, whether it’s spreading the ashes in a favorite spot, burying an urn in a special garden, or placing the urn on display, like in a columbarium.

Direct cremation is material-efficient, involves no embalming chemicals, and doesn’t require a patch of land or a burial plot to carry out. In fact, some people turn their disposition into an environmentally focused event. Some urns are designed to biodegrade and grow flowers, or even a tree. Others are designed to safely disintegrate in water, which allows for at-sea burials, and some have their ashes integrated into a reef.

For those passionate about the environment, direct cremation offers the most green-friendly options.

Direct cremation companies are regulated by the FTC’s Funeral Rule, which applies to all businesses in the funeral industry. The Funeral Rule requires direct cremation companies and all disposition providers to provide a General Price List (GPL) that includes the following:

• Details and expenses associated with all items and services
• A full price list of all available caskets and their physical descriptions
• Reminders that consumers do not have to purchase a casket for direct cremation
• Reminders that consumers do not need to purchase a package service for disposition
• Disclosures that alert consumers to what they need, at the minimum, for disposition

The FTC requires disposition services to provide the GPL as soon as any discussions about services or pricing comes up. Some states further regulate direct cremation companies. In Florida, direct cremation services must be licensed as “direct disposers” before they may provide services. Licensure includes commitment to a code of ethics and best practices in recovering and handling the body.

Americans have embraced cremation as their disposition practice of choice, and direct cremation is following suit. In many ways, direct cremation is perfectly suited for modern families who need a low-cost, simple form of disposition that still provides the dignity and care that people expect from an end-of-life ceremony. Direct cremation offers all of that, and is positioned to become one of America’s top choices in disposition.