roatia is a country with around
200 private and around 50 public
funeral companies. We have several
funeral
directors
associations.
The most recognised ones are UPH
„Udruga
pogrebnika
Hrvatske“,
„Udruga pogrebnika grada Zagreba“,
UPDRH
„Udruga
pogrebničke
djelatnosti
Republike
Hrvatske“.
The biggest and oldest association
in Croatia is “Posmrtna pripomoć”,
established in 1974. There are a few
hundred cemeteries in Croatia and
they present a huge cultural heritage.
We have some of the most beautiful
cemeteries in the world with immense
cultural importance, many of them
are listed by UNESO. They are located
all over the Country in particular in
Varazdin, Zagreb, Karlovac, Vukovar,
Pula, Dubrovnik.
The reality of the funeral sector in Croatia is
generally still quite basic compared to other
European countries. There are around 58.000
deceased per year in Croatia and around 38.000
new-borns which represents a big demographic
gap. Cremations represent 10% of the market.
There are two crematoriums, one in Zagreb
and one in Osijek. Funeral Professionals are
fighting to legalize and liberalize the market
and to create better business conditions for
the undertakers aligning the industry with
European standards.
GPTD roots goes back to 1984 when it was
formed as a small private company established
by my parents. During that time the company
specialized in the production of funeral textile
sets and accessories. In the 90’s the company
started with whole-sale coffins as well as
a wide range of funeral services. In 2000
I joined the company and we decided to offer
our products internationally. As result, we are
now exporting our products mostly to the west
European countries, collaborating with more
than 150 clients in the Republic of Croatia
and dozens of renowned European clients. On
the 23rd June this year we organized a “GPTD
open day”. This was a unique initiative which
gave the opportunity for colleagues within the
industry to see a wide range of funeral products
such as coffins, textile sets, urns, coffin racks,
mortuary
tables,
stretchers
and
trolleys,
lifting platforms, refrigeration technology,
audio systems, cosmetics and accessories,
suits and uniforms, clothing for the decease,
digital trends, international conferences for
thanato-praxis, etc. This was a great event
and I would like to express a special thanks
for their support to Mr Thomas Pludra from
PLUDRA, Germany, Mr Karoly Balogh from
KARSOL
Hungary,
Mr Joze
Homar
from
MENINA, Slovenia, Mr Devid Ghermandi from
CEABIS, Italy, Mr Andrej Benko from BENKO,
Slovenia, Mr Antton Loinaz from SORTEM,
Spain. This event, will hopefully become
a tradition and a place for the profession to
exchange information, new trends, products
and experience within the business.
Finally, we all have a goal – regulating the
market and raising the funeral standards to
the higher level it deserves.
For me it is a great honour to become a National
member of the World Organization of the
Funeral Operatives FIAT-IFTA. The membership
should engage all stakeholders in the funeral
industry and act towards harmonizing the
laws and practices around the World. Today I
can state that GPTD have become a modern
company,
managing
our
impact
on
the
environment and becoming independent of
carbon dioxide and gas as an energy source,
thus achieving energy efficiency with a modern
infrastructure with good working practices.
The purpose of all of the above is to be able
to respond to the challenges of the funeral
profession today in Croatia, Europe and the
rest of the World, and together build a better
industry.
I wish everyone personal happiness and great
success in their work!
GPTD d.o.o
www.gptd.eu
Contact us: dean@gptdurasek.com
For me it is a great honour to
become a National member of the
World Organization of the Funeral
Operatives FIAT-IFTA. The membership
should engage all stakeholders in
the funeral industry and act towards
harmonizing the laws and practices
around the World.
THANOS MAGAZINE | No. 103 – AUTUMN 2023
15
MEMBERS’ NEWS