flowers and sustainability

Source your blooms locally

The distance that your flowers travel has a significant impact on the overall carbon footprint attached to them. If you’re ordering in exotic blooms that have been flown over on a plane, or varieties that grow best in specific places, then you’re already adding the transport miles to your environmental impact. Plus, these blooms will also need to sit in chillers or be wrapped in plastic packaging in order to transport them successfully.

Instead, opt for flowers that are grown as near to your venue as possible. That way, they can be picked close to the day, without needing to be chilled and wrapped, saving on energy and reducing the need for plastic. They’ll also only travel the minimum number of miles. The best way to be confident on where your flowers are coming from is to purchase them from a local florist, who knows their supply chain. Or, if you’re green-fingered, grow them yourself!

Choose varieties that are in season

We’re so used to being able to get the flowers we want, when we want them, that many of us have forgotten the importance of seasonality. It is possible to grow many varieties outside of their home soil, or in a different time of year, but growers will rely on artificial heat and light to do so, which uses excess energy.

To avoid this, embrace the season you’ve chosen for your wedding day and pick your flowers to match. They’ll look their best at the right time of year anyway, so it’s just better all-round. This guide from The Fresh Flower Project can help give you some inspiration.

Less is more

Maximalism in flowers can look incredibly striking – but so can minimalism. If you’re looking to be more sustainable throughout your wedding planning, then opting for single stems, or a few flowers arranged artfully can both reduce your environmental impact and look incredibly stylish.

There’s also the additional benefit that fewer floral arrangements mean less waste, as you’re more likely to be able to repurpose your wedding flowers. You could give them to your bridal party to decorate their homes with for a few extra days after the wedding, have some dried to keep, or even donate them to a local nursing home for their enjoyment.

Sustainability within the floristry industry is starting to gain some real traction. From ditching harmful floral foam to sourcing local flowers to cut down on travel emissions, florists can make a big impact.

Bloom’s philosophies on sustainability within the floristry industry are clear:

We are passionate about sourcing local botanical materials and using sundry materials with a low environmental impact
We do not use floral foam unless it is absolutely necessary
Where possible, we support organisations and charities that assist the communities of developing nations
We purchase items from these communities, such as hand made products which ensure the profits go directly into helping the community

It is a little known fact within the general public that often flowers purchased and consumed in Australia are imported from overseas. These flowers come from as far away as Africa and South America. There can be many unethical issues with this practice, both environmentally and also from a humanitarian standpoint.

Some developing nations produce high volume, mass-produced botanicals. Often this comes at a cost to both the environment and the treatment of those employed at these workplaces. The lack of environmental protection laws and regulated work conditions in these countries lead to devastating consequences for some communities.

Environmental issues caused by some farms include devastation to local waterways and soils due to pollutant and chemical run-off from the flower farms. This can affect the sources of water used for drinking, bathing, cooking, and agriculture in the communities, affecting the community’s health and the biodiversity of the area.

In addition to the humanitarian perspective, the poor working conditions these flower farm workers experience can be horrendous. They can be forced to work long hours in unsafe conditions, for little pay, and are sometimes subjected to physical or sexual abuse. It’s so important to be aware of this issue and to consider where your flowers are coming from, how far they have travelled, and the potentially high price paid by others for these flowers to be sold at a low cost to the consumer. We also acknowledge this is not the case for all flower farms and there are some ethically conscious operators.

Australia, UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and many other nations, have an emerging group of wonderful growers of beautiful botanicals. Especially those fortunate enough to have a continent that spans through many different climate zones. These different climates enable local growers to cultivate varieties that thrive in cold, temperate, dry or tropical climates.

We recommend that you start to make yourself familiar with your local growers, within your area, including their seasonal varieties and growing practices, so you can better understand the growing process. With more understanding, education, and awareness, sustainability and ethical issues can be recognised and better dealt with.

To understand sustainability more thoroughly, and how it relates to floristry, let’s look at how it is categorised. Sustainability is divided into three categories: environmental, social, and economic. Let’s have a look at the considerations to take into account with each.

Environmental

Transportation
Pesticides
Water usage – for the growing process, and storage and handling for the florist
Land usage – for the growing of botanicals, and effects on local biodiversity
Electricity usage – for running cool rooms, refrigerated transportation and where that electricity is generated

Social

Human rights and safe working conditions for workers in developing nations
Social responsibility of consumers
Liveability concerns for some communities that are reliant on this industry
Health equity for those involved in the growing of botanicals

Economic

Cost effective energy bills
Competitive but profitable supply chains
Re-use of non perishable products

This theory is effectively detailed by the following Venn diagram:

sustainability in floristry

Sustainability is relevant to each of us, both in a local sense and also when looking at it from a global perspective. It is important to make educated choices for creating and maintaining sustainable practices within your workplace and as much as at home.

From a floristry perspective, you can do this by researching online products, growers, materials, botanicals, organisations, and charities that you can support and learn from.

We also teach sustainable practices extensively in our Bloom College Career Change Course. It’s so important to kickstart a career in floristry with the knowledge required to build and maintain a sustainable business. If you’re not sure if this course is the right one for you, get in touch! We’re more than happy to answer any questions so you feel 100% confident in your floristry path.

Tag Archives: flowers and sustainability

How to reduce the environmental impact of using flowers in your wedding