What do you know about the #nofloralfoam movement?
The #nofloralfoam is a movement among florists where we are turning our backs on the use of Floral form, sometimes referred to as oasis. It is right that we question our use of this product. Just as we are questioning the use of plastic bags, plastic straws and fast fashion etc.
Anyone who has ever dabbled in the world of floristry will know of these green, water-absorbing blocks used to create flower arrangements.
But did you know that Floral foam is not biodegradable, it is not re-usable and it’s use is contributing to the environmental problem of micro-plastics? Long after the flowers have faded and died, the foam, and the consequences of using foam, will last for possibly hundreds of years.
What is Floral foam?
Floral foam was invented in the 1950’s by Smithers-Oasis. It was not created specifically for the floral industry but was a bi-product of other industries that just happened to have a purpose in floral design.
Florists like using it because it is convenient and easy. It is able to retain water and hold up to 50x it’s own weight. The stability of the foam ensures flowers stay in place once designed, Floral foam also makes it is easier to transport arrangements because there is no water spillage. Furthermore, it can be easily cut into shape and placed inside any vessel.
The oasis website boasts that nearly 400 different Smithers-Oasis foam products are available. It also states that today’s OASIS foam biodegrades 100 percent - this is greenwashing.
What is it made of?
“Floral foam is essentially plastic. It’s a petroleum-derived product, meaning it comes from a non-renewable resource. And it contains formaldehyde and carbon black.” - Pollen, 2018
So, it’s plastic and we all know plastic isn’t biodegradable. Yes, Floral foam will eventually ‘degrade’ but these plastics will never truly vanish. They breakdown into ‘microplastics’, which are extremely harmful; microplastics can carry pollutants and toxic chemicals. These easily find their way into our waterways and are ingested by wildlife.
Rita Feldmann, one of the contributing members of the social media collective #nofloralfoam and florist at Rita Feldmann Flowers says, “The problem is that it’s the same as any other plastic – it breaks down into microplastics. This is a poorly funded area of research, but there is a growing awareness that all plastics are having a detrimental impact on marine ecosystems. Those little pieces are very small. You can imagine in an aquatic environment, those little bits of foam look like biological particles, and could easily be mistaken for food. Microplastics are a huge problem because they are entering the food system at the micro level. And if you consider that floristry is the only application for the product and it is designed to be used wet, it’s amazing that nobody ever considered, ‘what happens to the stuff when it’s washed down the sink?’”
If you are interested in reading more about Floral foam, I highly recommend this site by the Sustainable Floristry Network click HERE
I think florists should be mindful of opting for alternative, eco-friendly methods of displaying flowers wherever possible. Especially when we are planning a special event such as a wedding or funeral where displays are often more complex and the use of a lot of floral foam is commonplace.
Alternatives to floral foam
Before the invention of floral foam, flowers were arranged straight into vases or pots of water, using chicken wire or metal pins under the water line to secure the stems in place. These techniques are trickier, and more time consuming, than using Floral foam but for the reasons above it is something I do in all my work - you can the chicken wire used in the table centrepiece above.
Would you believe me if I told you that this was created without any foam! These ‘deconstructed’ arches are a popular choice for wedding ceremonies and I make sure I design these sustainably. It would be easier and quicker to use Floral foam in these designs but I don’t.
I took a few pics showing the stages of production for you all to see - not great pictures I’m afraid but you get the idea.
The base for these pieces are a ‘sausage’ of chicken wire stuffed with foliage, foliage that is going on the compost. The foliage is to help ‘anchor’ the stems of the flowers in place. This ‘sausage’ is formed around a heavy parasol base and an old pole, all recycled products.
The next stage is to add the greenery and the shape of the arrangement starts here. This natural, free flowing look really suits this design. I use long lasting greens that I know will be fine without a water source - such as oak, eucalyptus, magnolia and forsythia from my garden.
Next it is time to add the flowers. I use memorial grave vases fixed to the wire (you can see these in the picture above) and fill these with floral arrangements of differing stem lengths. I also use water phials across the design to ensure the flowers flow naturally throughout. It is also important to use some flowers that are super hardy and survive beautifully without water -such as dianthus, dot these throughout the design to fill any gaps and added colour throughout.
The chicken wire, pole and stand are all reused. Nothing ends up in landfill and I this beautiful arrangement still looks awesome after the wedding day.
Here are a few more designs used without Floral foam - although if you look through my work, nearly all of my designs are.
What’s next?
So what does the future hold for floral foam? Here are a couple of alternatives that I use and am excited to use.
There are plastic cages available made by floral designer Holly Chapple that allow you to design foam free and are reusable. Although plastic they are not single use.
The OshunPouch is made from renewable, plant-based materials. It is fully compostable with flowers and can safely be buried with a coffin so are great for funeral work. The downside is that it cannot be cut down and the size is not adjustable.
Lastly, I am really excited to try a new product soon to be released on the market - Phoam which is being advertised as the new alternative to Floral foam. It is plant based, derived from corn which is mashed to a pulp and turned into pellets. CO² is then injected which expands the pellets and causes them to stick together, forming a natural, open cell polymer which can take up water. It looks like it will work like Floral foam but without the bad stuff.
My go to and something I use for the majority of my designs is metal chicken wire - not the plastic coated stuff BTW. It can be cut to sit in any vessel and can be reused over and over again. When it does finally come to the end of it’s life it is recycled with other metals.
If you would like me to be a part of your day contact me
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every florist reduce their foam use, even just a little bit (you would be amazed how much floral foam I see used, even when there really is no need). I am not expecting everyone to go totally foam free, I do understand it’s not the easy option. But cutting down is doable and if we all do our little bit; well, that’s what it’s all about right?
So, what do you know about the #nofloralfoammovement? Hopefully now it’s a lot! If you have any questions just get in touch with the link above.
Obviously, all of the designs I have used in this blog are designed without the use of floral foam.
If you are interested in making your wedding day more sustainable I have a blog with ten ideas that you might find useful HERE
Thanks for reading!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hi! I'm Anne-Marie, Petal Power is me!
I run my weddings and event floristry business out of my studio in Creigiau, Cardiff, South Wales.
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Anne-Marie xoxo
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