Innovation is often the answer to a problem people don’t really know they have. It’s not until a new idea comes along that your struggle comes to light. Sometimes, that idea is so powerful that it can actually change the world.
That’s the case with solidified remains, a revolutionary service that provides a solid, soothing alternative to human or animal cremains. The idea of transforming ashes into smooth stone shapes that loved ones can hold and cherish is so innovative, in fact, that it has been named one of 2020’s World Changing Ideas by Fast Company.
Click here to register for Parting Stone’s May 12th webinar where you will learn about the solidified remains story, technology, and impact.
One idea, multiple benefits
The concept of solidified remains was introduced by Justin Crowe, founder and CEO of Parting Stone, in 2019. For Crowe, perfecting the process was a passion project that confronted the confusion and frustration of handling cremains in their traditional form.
The idea of solidified remains was just as much about tackling the physical impracticalities of cremains as well as addressing the mental health concerns of those left behind. Crowe’s idea builds on the concept of continuing bonds, or the belief that relationships do and should continue after death. The ability to touch, hold, and share the remains of a loved one allows for and strengthens continuing bonds.
“We believe that cremation should be more than just a convenient form of disposition,” says Crowe. “It is a profound opportunity to live with the remains of our loved ones, but conventional cremated remains make that experience uncomfortable. We hope that solidified remains will allow people to form meaningful connections with their departed long after they are gone.”
Good for society, good for the planet
Fast Company, the world’s leading progressive business magazine with a focus on innovation, selected its first World Changing Ideas Award winners in 2017. The program recognizes truly groundbreaking ideas that “awards honor products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are pursuing innovation for the good of society and the planet.”
Solidified remains was selected for an honorable mention in the contest’s General Excellence category, which encompasses “the broadest ideas.” According to Fast Company, General Excellence winners have “the potential to effect true systems change or solve wicked problems.”
Winners in the General Excellence category are ideas that the contest’s judging panel deem socially progressive. Winning ideas have addressed solutions for the blind, climate change, digital peace, and child development, among other global concerns. Previous honorees range from large companies’ sustainability initiatives to government policies to ideas that launch innovative startups — like Parting Stone.
A first for Fast Company
The idea of solidified remains is the first winner from the death care profession. It’s also the only one that recognizes there’s room for improvement in how the world addresses the grieving process.
“This honor not only positions grief and mental health as an important issue worth addressing,” says Crowe. “It also helps position solidified remains as a tool for continuing bonds and mental health — which has always been the vision!”
The idea of solidified remains was selected for this award from hundreds of finalists culled from thousands of entries. Judges included designers, venture capitalists, thinkers, social entrepreneurs, and Fast Company editors, who evaluated entries on the basis of impact, design, scalability, and ingenuity.
This is not the first award solidified remains and the death tech startup Parting Stone have garnered since launching last fall. Parting Stone also won a first place Keeping It Personal (KIP) Award from the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) in February 2020.
Fast Company’s winning World Changing Ideas are being introduced in the magazine’s May/June issue, which hit newsstands and the internet on Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
