SFN Membership

Become a member

To become a member you must:

1. complete the SFN Foundation in Sustainable Floristry course
2. commit to the SFN Design and Business Principles Member Pledge

Annual membership can be maintained by completing a shorter series of education units each year. These units will expand on the previous year’s learnings and will keep florists up to date with the latest thinking in sustainability, with the objective of supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The first Foundation in Sustainable Floristry course will cover membership for two years between 2024 – 2025.

Benefits of membership

Digital badge

Florists who become SFN Members will receive an SFN Member stamp for use on their website and email. This digital badge will enable viewers to verify the Member’s achievements and commitment to the program.

SFN Members will also be added to the SFN Directory, enabling customers to locate SFN Member Florists and verify membership.

Setting a new standard

By becoming an SFN Member, you will be actively working to transform the world of floral design for a better global future.

The more practitioners who work towards the principles, the further we can shift the general model of floristry to a better standard.

Tackling greenwashing

‘Greenwashing’ – the practice of selling something as environmentally-friendly when it is not – is a big problem across all industries, including floristry. Any business can claim to be a ‘sustainable florist’.

In this age of false marketing promises, adhering to a set of operating principles set by a third-party is the best way to demonstrate to customers that you are working to an independent standard. 

Supporting customers

Consumers who genuinely want to make a more sustainable purchase need a clear choice. Identifying as an SFN Member florist helps customers to make better decisions about the florist they choose. 

SFN florists are better florists – and part of our job is to make sure the public hears about what we offer!

Affordable & practical industry sustainability program

We educate individual floristry practitioners. The process of accrediting or certifying businesses generally involves compliance programs that can be expensive to run and manage. Given the income of the average florist and the many origins of floristry products, it is more affordable — and in many ways makes more sense — if we use education as a tool to raise industry standards.

The SFN makes no claims about a business’s credentials, given that one business may have many employees. We can only confirm if individual practitioners employed by a business are part of our membership program. Consumers will be able to verify these credentials against the member’s listing in the SFN Directory when it launches in January 2024.

The Sustainable Floristry Network Design and Business Principles Member pledge

Florists are ambassadors for nature. And nature is in trouble.

We are deeply concerned by the Triple Planetary Crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

We want to see all people in the floristry supply chain experience fair and safe working conditions.

The SFN pledge supports greater global movements aiming to create a sustainable future for the planet and for people. We ask florists to join us in becoming an SFN Member and committing to the following:

The pledge

I support creating a more sustainable industry through the following commitments:

1. Choose better flowers.

I will learn about cut flower seasonal availability and use my knowledge to minimise floristy’s environmental footprint.

Where applicable, I will support certifications that keep supply chains fair, transparent and traceable.

I will support farms that are working to conserve resources and preserve biodiversity.

2. Design out waste.

I will not use plastic floral foam and aim to eliminate the use of single-use plastics.

I will work towards zero-waste floristry and choose products and sundries that can be easily recovered, reused, remanufactured, recycled or returned to the earth at the end of their useful life.

I will create floral designs that support the end-user to avoid adding to landfill and enable easy resource recovery within domestic waste management systems.

3. Invest in ethics.

I will build a safe, fair and equitable workplace.

I will choose to engage with other businesses and suppliers genuinely working towards a more sustainable industry.

I will not engage in greenwashing or enable other businesses to.

4. Communicate with community.

I will share my decision-making process with others in the industry.

I will demonstrate the SFN Design and Business Principles to customers, colleagues and peers.

I will be honest and transparent about my own journey towards a more sustainable floristry.

Membership applications will open November 2023 and the program will launch in January 2024.