By Antje Bisping, In-house Lawyer at the German Federal Association of Funeral Directors (BDB) and Dr. Simon J. Walter, Cultural Representative of the German Burial Culture Foundation

Since the 1950s, the German Federal Association of Funeral Directors (BDB) has been discussing and implementing ways to utilize quality controls to ensure reliable and comprehensible standards for funeral homes in both business and service. While this is an immediate benefit for customers, it is also conceived as a way to make the quality work of funeral directors more visible to the public – and to help funeral directors to continuously develop and adjust their ways of work.

In March 2024, we were happy to share some of our experiences and insights around the so-called ‘Markenzeichen der Bestatter’, a trademark that has established itself as an anchor for proven quality in the funeral business – and as a badge for colleagues here in Germany who want to showcase themselves as the best of the best. In this recent article, we covered the requirements needed to wear that badge as well as the mechanisms put in place to ensure that all quality goals are met in the funeral home. We invite you to read up on these aspects to familiarize yourselves with our ‘Markenzeichen’.

Read the whole article in the winter issue of THANOS magazine - you can read online at pages 22-24