Environmentally conscious floristry
We are passionate about finding the most sustainable way to create beautiful eco minded flower arrangements. From our Moorooka florist home studio, every single day we are learning new ways to become more sustainable - we are not perfect but we are constantly trying to improve. Here are some of the things we currently do on our eco-friendly florist journey. This list is updated regularly to reflect our methods at the time.
Plastic-free
The floral industry is rife with single-use plastic it generally (unavoidably) comes in plastic from the farm or the market. Then at the florist, plastic or synthetic material is wrapped around the bouquet to make it “pretty” and a plastic water bag is used to hydrate the stems. Then it is usually tied with a synthetic ribbon (also not biodegradable!).
We can at least eliminate all of the additional plastic introduced from the florist side of things. All of our bouquets come wrapped in recycled kraft paper, with a completely home compostable plant-based water bag and some repurposed hessian and tied with 100% recycled cotton string. That’s it! We would recommend reusing the beautiful hessian, twine and brown paper for your own gift-giving - but they are all home compostable and fully biodegradable if you don’t have a use for them :)
Climate positive
The world is in the middle of a climate crisis. We do what we can to reduce our carbon footprint, but the nature of our business (and life in general!) means that some emissions are unavoidable.
Locally grown flowers vs imported flowers
The majority of flowers sold in Australia are not actually grown in Australia. This means huge travel miles, mixed farming practices and lack of support for local Australian farms. Not to mention that the flowers are often weeks old, dehydrated, mouldy and generally sad when they arrive to your door. They are doused in insecticides as they pose a huge risk to Australian native flora and fauna as they can bring in invasive pests. Even with this chemical bath the risk still exists. They are also treated so they can’t be propagated locally.
Because of this we use only flowers and foliage from Australian farms. We currently have some very good supplies coming from local farms located in Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast, and even closer to home at the Redlands, as well as the occasional bloom from our Southern pals in Victoria.
Brand alignment
We only work with suppliers that align with our ethos - so all of our add-ons are sourced in a way that reflects our values. We love supporting local artists and makers so if you think your business aligns with our values and you would like to work together we would love to hear from you at contact@barebouquets.com
Foam-free
Generally, any boxed or large installations rely on the use of a medium called “florist foam”. It is a seriously gross microplastic nightmare and so many florists still use it! And it is also a toxic carcinogen for people that breath it in when working with it - it has been banned from use in several high profile floristry events. People have developed many better alternatives (and the foam technique evolved from better methods from the past!) - so we can guarantee that you will never see any of that disgusting pond scum in our products.
This is not an exhaustive list of all eco-floristry techniques. If you have any of your own tips and tricks that you think we would be interested please reach out to us at contact@barebouquets.com. We love hearing about people eco-floristry journeys.
With love,
Miriam