Environmental sustainability is incredibly important in the floral industry. Nature has provided us with beautiful flowers and foliage that are the backbone of our business. Through sustainable practices that minimise negative impacts on our environment, we can ensure that our natural environment is in abundance for the enjoyment of future generations and the longevity of our industry.

As a florist and as a consumer, sustainability is not only very important, it’s also very complex. Difficult value-based decisions have to be made between a range of competing variables across environmental, social and economic requirements. Detailed information can often be difficult to find. 

At Whimsy & Woe, we want to be transparent about why and how we’ve made those decisions and let you make an informed choice about whether we are the florist for you. 

Eliminating Plastic

Australians produced 3.2 million tonnes of plastic waste in 2023-24, up from 3 million tonnes the previous year. 39% of that waste was from packaging. Packaging has traditionally been a huge part of the floristry industry. From the floral foam used in wreaths and installations, to the plastic wrap used in bouquets and decorations, to increasingly popular artificial plastic flowers. In 2023-24, only 14.1% of plastics were recycled in Australia. What happens to the rest? It heads to landfill, is burnt for fuel, or makes its way into our waterways and our soils. You can read more about these statistics and Australia’s plastic problem in this article from the Guardian from August 2025 or this annual Australian Government Report Australian plastics flows and fates reporting.

Plastics are typically not biodegradable and take hundreds or thousands of years to break down in the environment. This usually involves fragmenting into smaller and smaller pieces, which become known as microplastics. In the case of floral foam, the small plastic particles crumble into tiny fragments in the water, contaminating the water, and they also stick to stems, preventing the flowers from being able to be used in green waste or compost. The Sustainable Floristry Network has a range of resources where you can learn more about the challenges of plastic and floral foam. 

One comment we often hear is that artificial flowers are great because they last years and you aren’t spending energy and water on fresh flowers every week. The trouble is, artificial flowers don’t just last years. They last hundreds of years. Essentially you are buying an inter-generational gift. Yes, there is certainly energy and water in the production of both fresh and artificial flowers. These energy sources may be renewable. Even if they’re not, I have to wonder, will you really use those artificial flowers til you die? Will your children use it til they die? Or at some point are you going to get sick of it and throw it out and buy a different style or colour creating more waste? 

Our commitment at Whimsy & Woe

Addressing plastic is our number one priority. 

• We do not use floral foam or any plastic packaging in the sale or delivery of our flowers. All tape must be biodegradable. 
• We do not use artificial flowers. 
• We re-use and recycle materials such as boxes and metal, and use preloved ceramic and glass goods.
• We opt for suppliers using biodegradable and recyclable packaging where possible. 

Reducing Chemical Pollution

Chemicals are present at every stage of the floristry supply chain. Whether dried or fresh, different chemicals are often used to grow, preserve, clean and supply flowers that can have varying impacts on our environment. 

Fresh flowers

Chemicals appear throughout the fresh flower supply chain. Many farms use pesticides, fertilisers and other chemicals as part of their planting and growing schedules. Some farms will also use natural dyes or systemic dyes that are absorbed through the stem to change the colour of the flower. Natural dyes are biodegradable and generally less toxic but require large areas for cultivation and extensive water. Synthetic dyes are less resource intensive but can release hazardous chemicals into the environment. Across all industries, 80% of synthetic dye wastewater is released untreated into waterways or irrigation.

Wholesalers, suppliers and florists also use chemicals as part of cleaning and storing fresh flowers. However, these are generally a necessary part of managing plant disease and similar to basic cleaning supplies found in common households and offices such as bleach.

Our commitment at Whimsy & Woe

At Whimsy & Woe we believe nature already offers us all the colour variety we could possibly need. We do not sell flowers that have been coloured with systemic dyes. 

While we also seek out natural cleaning options, we do use bleach in cleaning products where necessary to decontaminate storage equipment and facilities and prevent the spread of bacteria and plant diseases. 

Dried flowers

Dried flowers can be a wonderful way to enjoy flowers for an extended period of time. However, increasingly companies are using a range of industrial chemical techniques to preserve flowers and offer non-natural colour palettes with limited transparency around what techniques have been applied. 

This makes safe disposal challenging. Spray-paints, glitter and plastic glue adhesives can all turn a wonderful natural product into something that is no longer biodegradable and needs to go to landfill. Depending on techniques used, chemical dying processes can also require large amounts of water and energy (see this 2022 article from the Journal of Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety). 

Our commitment at Whimsy & Woe

We seek to ensure all of our flowers are free from chemical-dyes and preserves. We want our flowers to showcase nature. We do not use products that have been dyed, painted or altered with glitter or sprays. We only use natural and biodegradable methods to bind products. We do not use glue. 

Protecting natural resources and minimising carbon emissions

Energy and water use play a big role in the floral industry. Understanding what is an environmentally and friendly choice can be difficult as there are often hidden costs and multiple variables to consider. 

Transportation

There are a range of different considerations at play when trying to assess the carbon impact of transportation. The biggest potential contributor to carbon emissions is importing flowers via air freight. Container ships and road transport present lower emissions options. Due to the perishable nature of flowers, air freight is typically required for any flowers travelling long distances. 

The following examples are approximate but show the significant difference between imported and local flowers when it comes to transport emissions. 

Air freight (calculated using International Civil Aviation Organisation Carbon Emissions Calculator) 

10kg of flowers from Amsterdam, Netherlands > Sydney, Australia = 77.79KG of CO2 emissions

10kg of flowers from Brisbane, Australia > Sydney, Australia = 13.3 KG of CO2 emissions

Container ship (calculated using CarbonCare)

10kg of flowers shipped by sea from Cape Town, South Africa > Sydney Australia = 0.9 kg of CO2 emissions

Road transport (calculated using CarbonCare)

10kg of flowers trucked from Brisbane, Australia > Sydney, Australia = 1KG of CO2 emissions

This means buying local flowers will have a lower carbon footprint from transportation.

Greenhouse flower production

While transport is typically the highest component of emissions, there are other contributing factors throughout the supply chain. In addition to the industrial processes noted above for producing chemicals and plastics, many farmers also use greenhouses to extend their planting and growing seasons, grow non-native plants and protect crops from pests and weather. Greenhouses typically have high energy use for heating and cooling compared to open-field growing. 

However, unlike air transportation, there are a range of options currently available to make greenhouse practices more sustainable through renewable energy. Solar can offset energy consumption. Hydroponics also offer opportunities for more efficient water consumption that open field planting, and higher yields and reuse of soil minimising the need for land clearing (see this article on the pros and cons from Sustainable Gardening Australia).  

Why silk flowers aren’t a sustainable solution

Increasingly many companies are offering silk flowers as an alternative to fresh and dried flower products. Silk flowers are championed for their construction from natural fibres and biodegradability unlike plastics. However, carbon emissions, chemical dyes and the treatment of animals are ongoing concerns across many parts of the industry. From an emissions perspective, Australia has a negligible amount of local silk production so nearly all of our silk is imported from China and India. As discussed above, importing flowers via air freight, generates much higher emissions than product supplied via local ground transport irrespective of whether it is fresh, dried or artificial. 

Our commitment at Whimsy & Woe 

There are a range of ways that we are looking to reduce our carbon footprint and protect natural resources including water scarcity. 

We do not buy imported flowers (fresh, silk, dried or artificial) and source all flowers within Australia. Wherever possible, we look to buy flowers grown locally within Victoria and we always opt for seasonal flowers.  

We are in the process of transitioning our transport operations and delivery. We are working towards 100% EV operations and delivery by June 2026.

We capture and use rainwater as part of our water supply system and reuse water where possible.  

Continuous improvement and education

We aren’t perfect and we don’t expect anyone else to be either. Together with science and research, we can make more informed decisions about sustainability and continuously improve our practices to minimise our impact on the planet. 

Our commitment at Whimsy & Woe

We will continue to provide you with the information you need to make informed choices. We always welcome feedback and love to hear about new scientifically-backed research. We commit to continually improve our approach to sustainability.

In summary

At Whimsy & Woe we want our natural environment to flourish for generations to come. We seek to minimise any damage our business practices might have on our beautiful planet by designing out waste such as plastic packaging and floral foam, and opting for reusable and biodegradable products. We also seek to reduce our carbon footprint by buying local and seasonal flowers wherever possible. We look to partner with companies that have transparent supply chains and pay staff a fair wage. We will continue to learn and improve.

Want to read more?

There are a range of scientifically produced and peer-reviewed resources available for those interested in further reading on sustainability. Great places to start are the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainable Floristry Network.