About Passages
Our Story
Passages International, Inc. was founded in 1999, when the demand for greener funerals was at its earliest stage. With green funerals now mainstream, Passages is dedicated to providing sustainable choices that allow families to have a unique, meaningful and healing funeral experience. We are a family owned and operated business, and our environmentally-friendly products are designed to let families and funeral homes create a funeral that truly honors a loved one, meets their values, and celebrates their life.
With Passages products, families can curate a funeral that truly reflects the values of their loved one.
We partner with funeral homes around the world to help them cater to today’s modern consumer. People today want more efficient cars, less wasteful products, and are green-minded in all areas of life. These values don’t simply disappear when planning a funeral, and families have become disenchanted with what is traditionally offered by funeral homes. We believe that we can all do better, for those we serve, for ourselves, and for the communities we live in. Nobody deserves to be laid to rest in a cardboard box, or receive their loved one’s remains in a plastic container, but until recently these have been the default option when declining traditional caskets and urns. We are here to change that.
According to the NFDA, over half of Americans today want greener funeral options, and over half of American families will choose cremation. Roughly half of those who choose cremation will scatter the cremated remains of a loved one.
Passages offers the most comprehensive selection of sustainably-produced and biodegradable urns, caskets, and memorial products to meet the needs of these families. We are dedicated to offering meaningful products to families who desire environmentally-friendly options for their end-of-life rituals.
Our Mission
To provide innovative and sustainable offerings that enrich and personalize the memorialization of a loved one while delivering healing and meaning to those left behind.
Our Philosophy
We believe in the power of ritual to transform and comfort. At death - the final rite of passage - we use rituals to celebrate, honor and safeguard the memory of a life. By providing meaningful and sustainable memorial products that enable the creation of unique experiences, Passages hopes to help mark the passing of a special soul.
Supported by Green Burial Council
We also support the work of the Green Burial Council, an organization working to make burial more meaningful, simple, and sustainable. We have been a member since their inception. We offer by far the greatest variety of products that have been approved by the Green Burial Council, and most receive their highest "3-Leaf" rating.
Proudly Recognized by Green America
We design and produce most of our products, and stand behind our unsurpassed quality and service. We are proud to be recognized by Green America as a socially and environmentally responsible business.
Meet Our President and Co-Founder
Darren Crouch
President and Co-Founder
Darren co-founded Passages International in 1999. Over the past several years, Darren has been published in The Director Magazine, The American Funeral Director Magazine, Funeral Business Adviser, The Cremationist, and the ICCFA Magazine. He has also been quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. In addition, he has spoken at several national and international conventions including the Asia Funeral Expo, the National Funeral Directors Convention, the ICCFA Convention and the CANA Symposium. Darren has been recognized as a thought leader in the funeral industry & Passages International was a finalist for Fast Company's World Changing Ideas in the category of Enduring Impact.
Darren holds a BSc. (Hons) degree from Manchester Metropolitan University in Manchester, England, is a Vistage member and is President of the Green Burial Council.
Direct: 505-234-1604 | Email: darren@passagesinternational.com
