Àltima launches a tool to facilitate funeral service contracts for families
Barcelona, October 24, 2017. – Àltima presented this morning the first tool that enables families to directly handle and contract funeral services and products, as it allows them to see at all times the final amount of the selected products and the total funeral expense. The Catalan funeral services company, which manages the Tanatori Ronda de Dalt in Barcelona, has launched this program with the aim of facilitating users in choosing all the necessary elements, based on the type of burial and desired expense. The new platform is a further step in Àltima's commitment to streamline the funeral process and ensure maximum transparency in services.
During the presentation of the new tool, Àltima’s Director of Funeral Services, Josep Ventura, stated, “This initiative stems from our dedication to serving families, with the goal of being completely transparent about what we offer. Additionally, it is a highly visual, agile, and simple platform designed to simplify the processing and, at the same time, facilitate the final expenditure that the user decides.”
The new tool, named Assessora, is already operational at Àltima's Ronda de Dalt and Sant Boi funeral homes, where it has been very well received by families, who have rated the service with an average score of 9.2 out of 10 (higher than other services provided by the company). This rating is independently conducted through the NPS – OPINAT Survey system. The company plans to implement the program across all its centers in the coming weeks.
Àltima manages a total of 29 funeral homes, seven cremation complexes, and 19 cemeteries throughout Catalonia, primarily in the provinces of Barcelona and Girona. Additionally, the company is currently constructing three new funeral centers in Cervelló, Terrassa, and Girona.
Funerals Are Becoming More Participatory and Innovative
Funeral traditions have evolved rapidly in recent years. While most funerals are Catholic (83.5%), secular services now account for 15% of Àltima’s offerings. Notably, this increase in secular ceremonies is accompanied by the growing involvement of families in various stages of the funeral process and their desire to tailor farewells to their preferences. In this context, 80% of funerals are personalized, incorporating elements such as readings or personal texts, images related to the deceased’s life, their favorite music, and innovative memorials (photographs, fresh flowers, etc.).
According to Josep Ventura, Head of Funeral Services at Àltima, “the personalization of funerals is a rising trend. We believe it is very positive for families to be able to decide and actively participate in the farewell of their loved one. However, as this is a moment that most people neither anticipate nor plan, it requires making many decisions in a few minutes, adding extra stress. Therefore, it is highly recommended to plan one’s own funeral in advance to align with the wishes of the deceased and the family.” In this regard, Àltima offers mivoluntad, a service primarily aimed at individuals over 70 without funeral insurance, allowing them to pre-plan and even pre-pay for their funeral service.
Personalization in the funeral world is also present in the digital realm. Àltima features the Espai per al Record (Space for Remembrance), the first virtual tool created in our country to pay tribute to a loved one. Users can share various types of materials about the deceased—texts, photographs, videos, condolence notes—in a private blog format, accessible only to those authorized by the administrator. Access to the Espai per al Record is easy and secure through Àltima’s website, www.altima-sfi.com.
Additionally, the company offers various online services, such as viewing recent deaths, ordering flowers online, and sending virtual condolence notes.
New Eco-Friendly Services for Ashes
For another year, Àltima has confirmed the growing trend of cremation, which continues to increase annually by nearly 1.6% in Catalonia. This growth rate is higher for Àltima, which recorded a 4% increase in cremations during 2016. According to the funeral company's data, the demand for cremation services in the province of Barcelona currently stands at 46.55%. This percentage exceeds the average global rates in Catalonia (42.01%) and Spain (40.33%). Joan Ventura, Director of Àltima's Cemetery Division, stated, "Cremation is a demand that will stabilize around 60% in the next ten years in the main urban areas of Catalonia. In response, cemeteries need to adapt and address this trend while ensuring controlled and sustainable management of ashes." Ventura also noted that currently, only 30% of cremations inter ashes in cemeteries, while the remaining 70% are unknown, although "it is highly likely that they are kept at home or scattered in other locations or natural settings in an uncontrolled manner," estimates the Cemetery Director at Àltima.
Among the latest innovations in cemeteries, Àltima has introduced three new initiatives for the disposal of ashes at the Les Pruelles cemeteries in Sitges and Viladecans. In Les Pruelles, the company has created the Poppy Garden, a landscaped area where hundreds of porcelain poppies, each labeled with the deceased's name, are placed under which ashes are buried in biodegradable urns. This initiative, which simulates a field of poppies as a memorial, is pioneering and unique in our country. Additionally, this facility has launched Family Rain Urns, bronze columbaria designed as family burial sites where ashes are diluted by rainwater. Meanwhile, the Viladecans Cemetery now features the Rest Garden, a Zen-style area where ashes can be scattered and the deceased’s details engraved on dark granite walls. These services complement other well-established sustainable options for ashes at the Cementiri Comarcal Parc Roques Blanques, such as the Calm Forest with 1,048 trees planted, the Rest Garden with 1,178 services provided, the Rest Fountain with 250 services, and the Family Trees with 363 specimens.
Due to the various alternatives for more efficient and responsible ash management introduced in recent years, 73% of Àltima's funeral service users now choose non-contaminating caskets and 38% opt for biodegradable urns.
In line with its strong environmental commitment, Àltima has been the first funeral services company to measure its carbon footprint. For the past two years, the company has evaluated and regularly published a report on the emissions of its 45 centers –including funeral homes, crematoria, and cemeteries– aiming to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Àltima's carbon footprint study is conducted by the eco-innovation agency Inèdit, part of the Research Park of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Barcelona, October 24, 2017. – This morning, Àltima introduced the first tool enabling families to directly process and contract services and products, allowing them to see the final amount of selected products and the total funeral expense at all times. The Catalan funeral services company, manager of the Ronda de Dalt Funeral Home in Barcelona, has launched this program to help users select all necessary elements based on the desired type of burial and expense. The new platform represents a further step in Àltima's commitment to facilitating the funeral process and ensuring maximum transparency in its services.
During the presentation of the new tool, Josep Ventura, Director of Àltima's Funeral Services, stated, "This initiative stems from our commitment to serving families with complete transparency in what we offer. Moreover, it is a very visual, agile, and straightforward platform designed to simplify the processing and facilitate the final expense that the user decides."
The new tool, named Assessora, is already in operation at Àltima’s Ronda de Dalt and Sant Boi funeral homes, where it has been well received by families, who rated the service with an average score of 9.2 out of 10 (higher than other services provided by the company). This rating is conducted independently through the NPS – OPINAT Survey. The company plans to implement the program at all its centers in the coming weeks.
Àltima manages a total of 29 funeral homes, seven crematorium complexes, and 19 cemeteries across Catalonia, primarily in the provinces of Barcelona and Girona. The company is also currently constructing three new funeral centers in Cervelló, Terrassa, and Girona.
Funerals are becoming increasingly participatory and innovative
Funeral traditions have evolved rapidly in recent years. Although the majority of funerals are Catholic (83.5%), secular ceremonies now represent 15% of Àltima's services. The most notable change, linked to the rise in secular ceremonies, is the increasing involvement of families in various stages of the funeral process and their desire to tailor the farewell to their preferences. In this regard, 80% of funerals are personalized, incorporating elements such as personal readings or texts, images related to the deceased’s life, their favorite music, and innovative memorials (photographs, fresh flowers, etc.).
According to Josep Ventura, Head of Àltima Funeral Services, “Personalization of funerals is a growing trend. We believe it is very positive for families to be able to decide and actively participate in the farewell of their loved one. However, since it is a moment that most people neither anticipate nor plan, it involves making many decisions in a short time, adding stress. Therefore, it is highly recommended to plan one’s own funeral in advance, so it aligns with the wishes of the deceased and the family.” In this regard, Àltima offers mivoluntad, a service primarily aimed at people over 70 without death insurance, allowing them to decide on and even pay for their funeral services in advance.
Personalization in the funeral world is also present in the 2.0 environment. In this sense, Àltima offers the "Espai per al Record," the first virtual tool created in our country to pay tribute to a loved one. Users can share various types of materials about the deceased—texts, photographs, videos, condolence notes—in a private blog format, with access restricted to individuals authorized by the administrator. Access to the "Espai per al Record" is both swift and secure through Àltima’s website, www.altima-sfi.com.
Additionally, the company provides the option to access various online services, such as checking recent deaths, ordering flowers online, or sending virtual condolence notes.
New Eco-Friendly Services for Ashes
For another year, Àltima has confirmed the growing trend of cremation, which continues to increase annually by nearly 1.6% in Catalonia. This growth rate is higher for Àltima, which recorded a 4% increase in cremations during 2016. According to data from the funeral company, the demand for cremation services in the province of Barcelona currently stands at 46.55%. This percentage is higher than the overall averages in Catalonia and Spain, where cremation accounts for 42.01% of funeral services in Catalonia and 40.33% in Spain. According to Joan Ventura, Director of Àltima's Cemetery Division, "cremation is a demand that will stabilize around 60% in the next ten years in the main urban centers of Catalonia. In response, it is necessary for cemeteries to adapt and address this trend, while ensuring controlled and sustainable management of ashes." Ventura also noted that currently, only 30% of cremations have ashes interred in cemeteries. Of the remaining 70%, the destination is unknown, although "it is very likely that they are kept at home or scattered in other locations or natural areas in an uncontrolled manner," estimates Àltima’s Cemetery Director.
Among the main innovations that Àltima has recently launched are three initiatives for handling ashes at the cemeteries in Les Pruelles, Sitges, and Viladecans. In Les Pruelles, the company has created the Poppy Garden, a landscaped area where hundreds of porcelain poppies, each identified with the deceased's name, are placed, and ashes are buried with a biodegradable urn. This initiative, which simulates a field of poppies as a memorial, is pioneering and unique in our country. In parallel, this site has also introduced Family Rain Urns, made of bronze, which are innovative columbaria designed as family burial sites where ashes dissolve with rainwater.
On the other hand, the Viladecans Cemetery now features the Rest Garden, a zen-style area where ashes can be scattered and the deceased's details engraved on the walls. These services complement other well-established sustainable ash disposal options at the Comarcal Cemetery Park Roques Blanques, such as the Calm Forest, with 1,048 trees planted; the Rest Garden, with 1,178 services performed; the Rest Fountain, with 250 services; and the Family Trees, which already has 363 specimens.
Following the various alternatives that allow for more efficient and responsible management of ashes implemented in recent years, 73% of Àltima’s funeral service users now opt for non-contaminating caskets and 38% for biodegradable urns.
In line with its strong commitment to the environment, Àltima was the first funeral services company to measure its carbon footprint. For the past two years, the company has been evaluating and publishing a report that details the emissions from the 45 centers it manages—funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries—with the goal of contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Àltima's carbon footprint study is conducted by the eco-innovation agency Inèdit, affiliated with the Research Park of the Autonomous University of Barcelona.