PASSAGES INTERNATIONAL NAMED A FINALIST IN THE ENDURING IMPACT CATEGORY OF FAST COMPANY’S 2022 WORLD CHANGING IDEAS AWARDS
From a 3D printed vaccine patch to green funeral products, a seawater-powered lamp, and countless other bold innovations, the sixth annual awards honor the products, concepts, companies, policies, and designs that are driving change, tackling issues from climate change to inequality, and so much more.
Albuquerque, N.M. — The winners of Fast Company’s 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards were announced today, honoring clean technology, innovative corporate initiatives, brave new designs for cities and buildings, and other creative works that are supporting the growth of positive social innovation, tackling social inequality, climate change, and public health crises.
For over 20 years, Passages International, based in Albuquerque, N.M., has led the funeral industry in the shift away from traditional funeral practices to eco-friendly, modern options. Passages is the only company in the funeral space fully dedicated to offering Earth-friendly funeral options for every step of the funeral process. Passages takes sustainability into account in every step of the process – from renewable resources to Fair Trade certified manufacturing to designing products with reduced shipping footprints.
Current estimates say that in the USA alone, we have dedicated 1.4 million acres of land to cemeteries. Every year, we bury 4 million gallons of toxic embalming fluids, 13,000 tons of steel, and 1.5 million tons of concrete for funerals. If every casket was made of wood (many are made of metal or other non-sustainable resources), we would use 150 million board feet of hardwood per year on caskets.
Now in its sixth year, the World Changing Ideas Awards showcase 39 winners, 350 finalists, and more than 600 honorable mentions—with climate, social justice, and AI and data among the most popular categories. A panel of eminent Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,997 entries across transportation, education, food, politics, technology, health, social justice, and more. In addition, several new categories have been added this year including climate, nature, water, and workplace. The 2022 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Switzerland to Hong Kong to Australia.
Fast Company’s Summer 2022 issue (on newsstands May 10, 2022) will showcase some of the world’s most inventive entrepreneurs and companies tackling global challenges. The issues highlight, among others, probiotics for coral reefs, easy-to-assemble kit homes for refugees or disaster survivors, a 3D printed vaccine patch, an electric truck, a system to heat homes from the waste heat of a name-brand factory, and prosecutor-initiated resentencing for overly long prison sentences.
“We are proud to have been chosen as a finalist for the Enduring Impact category of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas awards. Our company has driven real, actionable change in the funeral industry for more than 20 years, and we continue to be a disruptor in a very traditional and slow-to-change space. Not only are our products better for the planet, but they enable grieving families to remember loved ones in a very personalized and meaningful way,” said Passages International President and Co-Founder Darren Crouch. “Our green funeral product company had humble beginnings, having started from the back of a family funeral home in Taos, N.M., and we are honored to be considered for this national award.”
“We are consistently inspired by the novelty and creativity that people are applying to solve some of our society’s most pressing problems, from shelter to the climate crisis. Fast Company relishes its role in amplifying important, innovative work to address big challenges,” says David Lidsky, interim editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “Our journalists have identified some of the most ingenious initiatives to launch since the start of 2021, which we hope will both have a meaningful impact and lead others to join in being part of the solution.”
About the World Changing Ideas Awards
World Changing Ideas is one of Fast Company’s major annual awards programs and is focused on social good, seeking to elevate finished products and brave concepts that make the world better. A panel of judges from across sectors choose winners, finalists, and honorable mentions based on feasibility and the potential for impact. With the goals of awarding ingenuity and fostering innovation, Fast Company draws attention to ideas with great potential and helps them expand their reach to inspire more people to start working on solving the problems that affect us all.
About Passages International
Founded in 1999 in New Mexico, Passages International, Inc. has led the green sector of the funeral industry for more than 20 years, with the largest selection of innovative, biodegradable, and environmentally-friendly urns, caskets, and memorial products. For more information on Passages products or Fair Trade, visit www.passagesinternational.com.
