The Sustainable Floristry Network Q&A

How and why did SFN start?

Starting the SFN was basically my mid-life crisis.

I’ve been lucky. I’ve been in flowers my whole life. In 2006, I started a wedding flower business in Victoria’s Yarra Valley. It was a wild time for floristry, fueled by the internet. Event florists like me suddenly received all this exposure as couples published their wedding photos on social media.

But as budgets increased, so did competition, consumption, and waste. I witnessed rubbish skips overflowing with single-use props, flowers and waste all mixed in together. But one particular sight changed everything for me: a compost bin loaded with blocks of green plastic floral foam.

Floral foam is deeply embedded in floristry culture. It’s been flying under the regulation radar for around 60 years. I started researching it in 2016, and I was horrified. I discovered that it is as bad as plastic can be, at all levels. It gets into vase water, crumbles into microplastics, goes down the drain — and animals think it is food and eat it.

And it’s deceptive. When it’s covered with flowers, it’s invisible, and the form and texture of the material makes it seem like it’s made from natural materials. Worst of all, the main manufacturer listed “crumbling into soil” as a recycling option.

In 2017, I created @nofloralfoam on Instagram to share information and promote alternative floral design techniques. The account exploded and grew into a movement, with florists from all over the world tagging their work #nofloralfoam. Today there are 250K images with the hashtag.

I flagged the issue with microplastic researchers at RMIT University. When they published the results in 2019, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show banned floral foam completely. This was a huge win and a sign that some elements of the flower world were going to take this very seriously.

I’m a florist by trade, but I’m a science journalist by training. I knew that the industry had other sustainability issues, so I just kept researching. It became clear that if I wanted to sleep at night, I needed to turn my focus to supporting the scientists and experts trying to get the word out.

Floral foam’s ubiquity is down to the manufacturers, who sponsor and donate products to floristry training, flowers shows, competitions and the industry media. I knew florists needed a completely independent and science-based approach. 

What does SFN do?

Our core mission is education. We set the facts straight for florists and flower customers in an industry that is drowning in greenwashing and misinformation. The field of sustainability is complex, and incorporates multiple academic disciplines –business, science, sociology, psychology, environmental studies – all of which come with complicated ideas and language. We help florists make sense of all this, by simplifying it and applying it to their craft.

We have an online training course for working florists: Foundation in Sustainable Floristry. It is the only course of its type in the world. It took my co-author Ginger Briggs and me three years to create, and is basically a how-and-why of industry best-practice, based on sustainability science and the insights of global experts. We certainly didn’t make it up! It follows a United Nations Environment Programme report that outlines what the private sector must do to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

It is not about floral design – that’s only 10% of the job. We take a more holistic, business-focused approach to floristry. We look at everything from purchasing and using flowers (the main source of emissions) to day-to-day business operations (waste, power, water, employees) to customer relations. Learning how to communicate effectively is critical. Individual shoppers, other businesses, big brands and other government agencies – they’re all increasingly looking to spend their money with businesses that can offer genuinely more sustainable products and services.

That’s where our Member Florist program comes in. The florists on our directory are not just paying lip-service or using the language of sustainability for marketing. They have done the hard work. They’ve completed our training and have pledged to integrate our sustainable floristry principles into their design and business practices. You must earn our Member Florist badge, you can’t just buy into the program. It is the only florist member program in the world that requires a sustainability training qualification for entry.

What are some simple changes a florist can do to become more sustainable?

Do our course! Honestly, the thing I’ve noticed about florists who complete the course is that they emerge both humbled and inspired to be part of something new and positive. They frequently report that previously they felt confused about how they could contribute to meaningful change, and after completing the course they feel empowered and hopeful.

Ultimately, the training is a critical part of understanding what’s required of a new system. Our philosophy is that flowers can play a powerful role in helping people to reconnect with nature, as long as those flowers don’t add to the problems we are trying to tackle.

The reality is, we are all on a learning journey — including me. It is not about perfection, nor is it about individual action alone. It is about setting consistent standards across industry that work for the planet as well as people.

But a few key points, drawing from our principles:

Promoting locally grown, seasonal flowers is the key to reducing emissions.

This is tough when consumers are used to having whatever they want, whenever they want. Those roses in winter? Likely airfreighted from the other side of the world with a huge, invisible carbon footprint. But just because something is local, doesn’t mean it is low impact. There is a lot to farming flowers, and every bucket impacts the environment differently. So it’s crucial florists have the knowledge, skills and confidence to make better decisions – and inspire their customers to choose better too.

Lose the plastic. Remove floral foam from design.

I understand funerals are tricky, but really, it is possible to eliminate foam from all other forms of floristry. Mastering in-vase arranging and hand ties are the secret to a successful floristry business – especially at a luxury level. My business’s success was proof. You can still have loads of beautiful flowers without the impact. It is about building skills, creative problem solving, and being invested in the outcome.

Manage your waste

Or in the language of the circular economy, support resource recovery. Florists produce a lot of green waste. In landfill, it adds to climate change. In a composting system, it has value, but only if free from rubbish. Look at the products you are sending out with clients. What are they going to do with them once the flowers have died? Sustainability involves considering the life-cycle of your creations: where things have come from, and where they are going.

How can consumers be more sustainable when buying flowers?

Ask your florist for what is in season locally. Flowers grown with the seasons, outdoors and locally, and ideally without harmful pesticides, have a fraction of the impact of flowers imported by airfreight, or those grown in fossil fuel-heated glasshouses. Some flowers can actually have a positive impact —it all depends on how they are farmed.

You need to be open-minded about choice. Australian native wildflowers, and many South African species, are a great choice, especially in the cool months when local flower supplies dwindle. They have evolved with the climate and soils of the country and don’t require a lot of inputs for farming. Plus, growing them supports wildlife and native pollinators.

And always remember: flowers are happiest in a vase of water. Lose the packaging, get flowers home, trim their stems and put them in water. It really is that simple.

What changes have you seen in the floristry world over the last few years? And what do you hope to see in the future?

After the #nofloralfoam campaign, discussions about sustainability peaked. But as with most new movements, the conversation plateaued. What’s left is a few key messages: foam is bad, local and seasonal is good. That’s true, but genuine sustainability demands more than this. It asks us to factor the well-being of all lives — humans, animals, plants, ecosystems — into all decision making, not just some decisions.

Sustainability is ultimately powered by understanding that all life on Earth is connected and interdependent. Humans are part of nature, and if nature suffers, so do we. So sustainable floristry asks us to not only consider what’s good for our business, but what’s good for the rest of the planet too. This is a break from business as usual, which puts profit first, regardless of the cost to nature.

Progress depends on not letting self-interest always be the decision-maker. That’s why we work to evidence-based principles. They are independent of everyone.

Unfortunately we’ve seen an influx of greenwashing, particularly around manufactured products This makes it very confusing for florists. Everyone is looking for a panacea foam replacement, but words like ‘compostable’ and ‘plant-based’ mean different things when plastics are involved and regulation is lagging behind or absent entirely. These manufacturers have money to throw at marketing.

But greenwashing also applies when you see things like “sustainable florist” used in marketing. How can you prove it? According to who? Under the title “sustainable florist” we see some people truly dedicated to impactful change, whereas other are simply using the word for self-promotion.

At the SFN we ask people to take the education road. I know it is hard for some people to find the headspace, but that’s what I’d love to see. More florists valuing education as part of their business and referencing the SFN Design and Business Principles as the touchstone of their business ethos.

How can we all learn more about practicing sustainable floristry?

For the philosophical answer, start from the very beginning by observing the natural world. Do you like bird watching? Take it further. Go to watch ants, falling leaves, shifting clouds and the change of the seasons. First Nations cultures are in harmony with nature, and that’s knowledge we need to integrate into our scientific view of the world. We need more time for awe, more time to develop respect for nature and how much we depend on it. We can start with observing just one flower on our kitchen table as it opens and dies.

For a more practical answer – check out the SFN’s resources! We have loads of resources on our websites that are there to help flower lovers make better decisions about their flowers. 

What are 5 varieties of flowers that you love?

Wallflowers. They remind me of my childhood, selling flowers by a horse and cart.

Violets. As above, with stronger, memory-inducing fragrance. It takes ages to pick a bunch, making them even more special.

Hakea laurina. Because I’m a wildlife carer and the bush beyond my computer screen brings all the animals. Watching everyone busy around the flowers is both enchanting and reassuring.

Eucalyptus/Angophora spp, both flowers and foliage. I recently discovered the exquisitely floral bush honey scent of Angophora floribunda in full flower. Unbelievable. The smell you want in body lotion.

Japanese anemone/windflowers. I love the way they pop up and move in the wind. 

Your favourite flower growing or floristry tip?

Floristry: Recut stems, put flowers in a vase of water and enjoy the magic of nature.

Flower growing: Plant tasty treats for beneficial insects and birds and you will never watch daytime TV again.

SFN COURSE

The SFN is offering Veggie & Flower Garden Seeds subscribers a 15% discount on the Foundation in Sustainable Floristry course. Enrol in the course and enter the code SEEDSxSFN when prompted. (It’s case-sensitive, so copy and paste.)

Find the SFN’s free resources for florists here.