Great news for the dead: the funeral industry is being disrupted
Changing social norms, competition and technology are shaking up a stodgy and exploitative business
FEW choose how they die, but they can choose what happens next. Most leave this to loved ones who, in their distress, usually outsource the decision to an undertaker. The transaction is often a let-down, with hardly any choices beyond “Burn or bury?” and “Cheque or card?”
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Death, disrupted”
Leaders
April 14th 2018
From the April 14th 2018 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the edition
A fantastic start for Friedrich Merz
The incoming chancellor signals massive increases in defence and infrastructure spending

The lesson from Trump’s Ukrainian weapons freeze
And the grim choice facing Volodymyr Zelensky
Western leaders must seize the moment to make Europe safe
As they meet in London, Vladimir Putin will sense weakness
Prabowo Subianto takes a chainsaw to Indonesia’s budget
The result? More money for the president’s boondoggles
Inheriting is becoming nearly as important as working
More wealth means more money for baby-boomers to pass on. That is dangerous for capitalism and society
Donald Trump has begun a mafia-like struggle for global power
But the new rules do not suit America