Rising energy prices affect all sectors.
According to some specialists, cremations, which use a lot of gas, could cost families more from next year.
A study by the funeral services comparator Meilleurs Pompes Funèbres published at the end of September thus estimates that the price of a cremation could increase by a “minimum” of 35% over the next two years, when the gas supply contracts will be renewed.
The share of gas in the costs of a cremation is estimated at 20%.
However, the price of natural gas in Europe is twice as high in October as at the start of the year and has been multiplied by 7 compared to the start of 2021 on the reference market, the Dutch TTF.
Industry Concerns
The funeral start-up Advitam estimates that the increase will be even greater.
In a press release published on Tuesday, it assures that the price could be "multiplied by 2.5" in 2023. An estimate which however seems "overvalued" according to other funeral experts.
For its part, one of the main groups of funeral directors, Funecap, confirms to AFP that “increases are to be expected” but that their amount is still unknown.
Its main competitor, OGF, declined to comment.
"There is a real concern on the subject in the sector", confirms Antony Fallourd, general manager of the funeral directors Funéplus, who fears that a sharp rise in prices will reinforce the bad image of certain funeral establishments, sometimes considered as "death profiteers".
Frédérique Plaisant, president of the French Cremation Federation, believes that "if the prices increase too much, it is not sure that families can pay".
She fears that this will constrain the choice of families between burial and cremation, when it is a "deep choice" linked to the convictions of each.
Variable situations
In practice, the decision to increase the price of cremations can only be taken on a case-by-case basis by municipalities with a crematorium: they deal with it directly or entrust management to a private service provider.
Rather than making the increase in costs weigh on bereaved families, some could therefore decide to make arrangements with these service providers by, for example, lowering the "public domain occupation fee", an amount they pay to municipalities to operate the crematorium, or by directly subsidizing cremations.
Price increases will also depend on the situation of each crematorium.
According to Charles Simpson, author of the Best Funeral Directors study, they could be more important for those managed by independent service providers than by large groups, because the latter negotiate their energy contracts more easily and are therefore less exposed to rising costs.
For Frédérique Plaisant, a solution at the national level would be preferable.
It thus calls on the State to intervene and the gas suppliers to make a gesture towards the crematoriums.
Note that cremation represents just over 40% of funerals in France.
If a large number of families decided to favor a burial, this could also pose problems of space in the cemeteries.
Toulouse
Toulouse: A second “essential” crematorium reduces waiting times
Company
Caen: Faced with "peaks" of deaths, the "overwhelmed" crematorium
Company
Energy
Gas
Funeral
Economy