Starting a revolution in funeral flowers

The Directory provides a ground-breaking online listing service that aims to get single-use plastic foam out of funeral floristry by connecting people to florists across the UK offering beautiful compostable funeral flowers.

A positive, practical response to the huge issue of plastic waste in funeral floristry, The Farewell Flowers Directory is on a mission to change the world of funeral flowers one compostable arrangement at a time. By demonstrating just how beautiful naturally designed funeral flowers can be without the use of floral foam or single use plastic, The Farewell Flowers Directory aims to change perceptions of funeral floristry and get the plastic out of funeral flowers for good.

Floral foam has become a significant environmental issue. It is estimated that every year over 14,670m3 of plastic floral foam is sent to landfill from crematoriums across the UK, the equivalent of more than 6 Olympic swimming pools. Plastic floral foam is a single-use plastic and cannot be recycled. It will never biodegrade but breaks down into microplastics which can contaminate the soil and watercourses. The good news is that compostable alternatives to floral foam are available; ranging from creating moss and twig bases to arrangements of flowers or plants designed to be shared after the funeral with family and friends and to be taken home.

Carole said: “I want to change the way people think about funeral flowers and to take the difficulty out of finding plastic-free floral arrangements at a time when people want and need their flower search to be easy. It’s important that funeral flowers, something naturally beautiful, don’t leave a plastic legacy that will hang around for longer than we will. Funeral flowers are such personal and important flowers to get right and we want to start conversations and discussions about all of the different possibilities which they hold – the possibilities for them are so much wider than the plastic-based foam shapes and letters which spring to mind whenever funeral flowers are mentioned."

About The Farewell Flowers Directory

A positive, practical response to the huge issue of plastic waste in funeral floristry, The Farewell Flowers Directory is on a mission to change the world of funeral flowers one compostable arrangement at a time. By demonstrating just how beautiful naturally designed funeral flowers can be without the use of floral foam or single use plastic, The Farewell Flowers Directory aims to change perceptions of funeral floristry and get the plastic out of funeral flowers for good.

Every florist listed in The Farewell Flowers Directory and wanting to be part of the change commits to offering the option of fully compostable funeral flowers, incorporating an element of British-grown material into their designs, being transparent about the provenance of their cut material and showcasing their compostable designs on a dedicated funeral flowers page on their website.

Carole understands both the power that well-designed flowers can have and the need for a more sustainable approach. She explained:

“Creating funeral flowers is really special and personal. One of my favourite memories is of cutting flowers from a slightly wild and rambling garden in suburban Birmingham – it’s owner, the lady who had died, was obviously a woman after my own heart and was clearly a passionate plants woman. It was a joy to cut ingredients for her funeral flowers from the garden which she had loved and tended, all the while accompanied by her six year-old grandson with his own bucket and pair of snips, who chattered away as he chose his own flowers to be included in the arrangement. I left the house with the feeling that I’d done something very special and worthwhile and that these flowers would create something so unique that no funeral flowers chosen from a catalogue could have possibly provided.

The fact that all the flowers had travelled only a few miles rather than from the other side of the world was just an added bonus. The pleasure the flowers provided also continued after the funeral as the casket spray was separated into the individual tied bouquets which formed it and they were enjoyed by the family in vases at home.”

The Institute of Crematorium and Cemetery Management backs The Farewell Flowers Directory initiative, as Julie Dunk, Chief Executive of the ICCM explained:

“We recognise that floral tributes can be an important part of a funeral and beautiful displays can bring great comfort to bereaved families. However, as with everything in life, we need to consider our environmental impact and make choices where possible to minimise this impact. Once the flowers have wilted, cemeteries and crematoria are left with the plastics which can become litter, and which our members have no option but to skip and send to landfill. Reducing the amount of plastic in the form of floral foam and bases for displays, as well as wrappings such as cellophane, will have a positive impact on not only the environment but also on the costs of dealing with these non-biodegradable materials. It is great that there is now a real choice through The Farewell Flowers Directory and people can choose floral displays that reflect their wishes whilst protecting the environment. The ICCM welcomes this excellent initiative and would encourage anyone looking for local florists to help them create a meaningful floral tribute to use The Directory.”