How My Project Will Help the Floriculture Industry Be More Sustainable
Floriculture is a big part of urban retail, but it also creates environmental problems like waste, carbon emissions, and high resource use. Some businesses may already be trying to be more sustainable, but they might not think of these efforts as part of a circular economy (CE). My project aims to create a simple guide to help people in the industry understand and apply CE ideas in practical, affordable ways.
Why a Guide Instead of a Research Paper?
A research paper is useful for academic discussions, but a guide can provide clear steps and real solutions that businesses can use right away. Many florists and plant sellers already reuse materials, compost waste, or choose eco-friendly packaging, but they may not connect these actions to a larger sustainability approach. The guide will explain circular economy in simple terms and offer ideas that fit the realities of the industry.
The Guide will include：
- What circular economy means in floriculture and why it matter？
- The environmental impact of cut flowers vs. potted plants (waste, emissions, and resource use)
- Practical strategies like better sourcing, waste reduction, and packaging alternatives
- Examples from real businesses that have tried sustainable practices
- Useful resources for finding suppliers, funding, or training
Next Steps
Right now, I am still figuring out what data is available, so the guide’s focus might change depending on what I find. The main goal is to make sustainability easier to understand and apply in floriculture, whether that’s for florists, plant retailers, or even small-scale growers.
There are a lot of interesting questions here and I had some more myself – particularly around wider stakeholder impact. So I did a bit of googling and stumbled upon this project at Coventry – it might have some good resources for you : https://sustainableflowersresearch.org/ (if you haven’t already seen it).