Plastics, packaging & waste in floriculture — a new guide
Like every other industry, the cut flower industry uses a lot of packaging. Coventry University is leading a project to reduce plastic, packaging, and waste in the British cut-flower industry.
Between grower and the final delivery of a bouquet, flowers may be packaged and repackaged several times. Plastic sleeves, containers, gift wrapping, ribbons and floral foam are all widely used by florists, to protect and enhance their product and keep flowers hydrated.
But customers are increasingly aware of the environmental issues associated with plastics and want to buy from businesses that are acting responsibly. Research has shown that packaging is one of the top issues that concern members of the flower-buying public.
Led by Professor David Bek, from Coventry University’s Research Centre for Creative Economies, an industry working group has produced a new booklet and other resources designed to guide the floriculture industry towards more sustainable practices.
Co-led by the University of Surrey, the working group comprises collaborators such as the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI), Interflora, the British Floristry Association, Flowers from the Farm, JZ Flowers and Superflora, and Bloom and Wild.
The official launch event was held at Coventry Cathedral on 25th September and showcased demonstrations of sustainable floristry design, including that of SFN Advisor and florist to the King, Shane Connolly.
Florist Shane Connolly and Professor David Bek at the Coventry University launch
A wide range of representatives from the UK flower industry attended the 25th September launch.
“The strength of this project lies in the commitment offered by industry and expert stakeholders,” says Professor Bek. “Their support not only lends credibility to our initiative but also amplifies the sustainability message within the industry. This project represents a crucial step toward reducing the environmental impact of the cut-flower industry and the involvement of respected industry leaders is a testament to its importance.”
Project co-lead Dr Jill Timms agrees that the core of this project and the working group is collaboration. “It has been challenging, but we have brought people together from across flower supply chains – both global and local,” she says. “We have produced guidance which has been really useful to many different groups and sets a high bar for the ambitions we have to bring about significant policy and behavioural change for a more sustainable, and less wasteful and plastic orientated flower industry future.”
Partly funded by an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) awarded to Coventry University by the Economic and Social Research Council, the project aims to transform the industry by encouraging and promoting sustainable practices by offering practical guidelines for reducing environmental impacts, such as minimizing the use of single-use plastics and improving packaging efficiency.
About the guide
The guide is intended to help florists, wholesalers and anyone who buys, sells or works with flowers become more aware of the issues surrounding plastics, packaging and waste and make better choices.
It brings together information on plastics and other packaging materials found in floristry, clarifies some of the terminology around plastics and their disposal, and suggests links to further resources if you want to dig deeper into the issues.