Florist Survey Aims to Answer Key Sustainability Questions
- Jackie Whittaker
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Florists are being asked to take part in a new research survey looking at attitudes to flower sustainability and sourcing. Devised by the Sustainable Flower Research Project, the purpose of this survey is to better understand how British florists understand the factors that are of importance to customers, especially in relation to environmental sustainability and attitudes to British grown and overseas flowers.
The survey, which is anonymous to complete, will help researchers to better understand the current British flower market and the trends within it. With increasing discussion and publicity about the positive aspects of British grown flowers, the survey aims to develop a picture of how these issues are viewed by florists and their customers. Survey results will help flower industry bodies to shape their marketing plans, lobby government and pitch for funding.
You can help with this important sustainability project by clicking on this link to complete the survey Https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/coventry/fgcfloristsurveyall-1
About the Sustainable Flowers Research Project
The project was launched in 2016 by Prof. David Bek from Coventry University and Dr. Jill Timms from the University of Surrey and is run by a team of researchers who have been researching the cut-flower industry for over two decades. A key focus of their work is to ask the fundamental question: What does a sustainable flower look like?
The Sustainable Flowers Research project has an active stakeholders group made up of individuals from across the floristry industry and regularly shares information about their research projects, workshops, publications and more.
David and Jill have visited farms, packhouses, auction houses, wholesalers, flower markets and retail outlets in locations as diverse as Naivasha, Aalsmeer, Mexico City, Lancashire and Cape Town, interviewed florists up and down the United Kingdom and attended international flower events, such as the Royal Flora Holland Trade Fair. A number of stakeholder workshops have been held in the UK, Holland and South Africa enabling the project to reach an ever-wider network within the industry. The Project tackles questions about what sustainability means in practice and therefore how the cut-flower industry can continue to flourish in the context of acute environmental, social and political challenges.
