Plastic Free July

It’s impossible to miss the shocking effect single use plastic is having on the environment. Mountains of un-recyclable landfill, oceans filled with plastic that will never degrade and an eco-footprint that is threatening the Earth’s ozone layer. This is a subject close to my heart and I believe we all have a responsibility to reduce the amount of plastic we use. So, The Flower Lounge is leading from the front, and getting behind ‘Plastic Free July’ to choose to refuse to use single use plastic for a whole month (and beyond!). 

Here’s how you, as a customer, will notice the difference:

• We no longer use plastic to wrap bouquets or stems, we now present them in recyclable paper

• We never use plastic carrier bags - all gifts, cards, vases and other purchases leave the store in a paper bag

• Flowers and bouquets are tied with biodegradable string as opposed to plastic ribbon

• Our presentation bags are made from card rather than correx plastic

These are small changes, that have zero effect on our customers, but they are changes that will make a big impact on the environment. The only plastic we now use is for the water bubble. That’s not to say we haven’t looked into it! Unfortunately, biodegradable options start to break down after just a couple of days and we know many of our customers either buy our bouquets as gifts to give a day or two later, with others preferring to keep the flowers exactly as they are presented. We continue to explore alternative options.

I’ve also gone one step further on my plastic free mission, and that is to use my role as a floral ambassador for Florismart to get the industry talking about single use plastic.

Florismart is an operation that connects florists with a rich variety of growers, cutting out the middle man and allowing florists buy smarter, manage their stock more efficiently and speak directly to growers.

As a floral ambassador, I get access to this huge pool of people, so I can shape and influence the industry. And I will be using my role to bring single use plastic to the top of the agenda. I see, first hand, the amount of single use plastic exporters and growers use to package their stock and, just like The Flower Lounge, a few small and inexpensive changes could have a massive impact on future generations.

So, if I’ve inspired you to think about your own single use plastic consumption, please visit www.plasticfreejuly.org to find out how you can make a difference.