Sustainable Floristry Innovation Award 2025

Newby Hall in Yorkshire once again hosted the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show and one of the key exhibits was from Interflora, showcasing the third year of their Sustainable Floristry Innovation Awards.

Many floriculture practitioners and suppliers are transforming their offerings and the industry for the better, and Interflora want to celebrate and support them, as part of their own journey to understand and address the ways they impact the planet, people and communities. This award aims to spotlight and celebrate innovations that can make a huge positive difference for our industry, either through the art of floristry, the supply chains that deliver our blooms, or the cultures surrounding flowers and gift-giving. 

This year's finalists have been nominated for their creative approaches to making emotional impact with less planetary impact, offering alternatives to existing harmful ‘industry standard’ materials and methods, as well as groups organising and advocating to improve the sustainability of floristry.

The Nominees

Winner- Flower Grower Collective (FGC)

The Flower Grower Collective is a UK-wide cooperative connecting local growers and florists, creating routes to market for sustainable, seasonal British flowers through collaboration, community and creativity.

What problem or opportunity does it respond to?

The Flower Grower Collective connects florists with seasonal British flowers while tackling industry-wide challenges. By building fair, local supply chains and reducing imports, we support agroecological growers, cut carbon miles, and empower creativity. Hubs and the wholesale platform deliver nature-friendly, community-driven solutions aligned with sustainability and food system goals.

How is it innovative?

The Flower Grower Collective transforms floristry by uniting growers, cutting imports, and tackling environmental harm. Through cooperative hubs, agroecological practices, a digital platform, and research-led innovation, it builds fair, local supply chains that lower carbon miles, curb chemicals, and empower creativity - offering a resilient, sustainable future for British flowers and communities.

How did it come about? / What was the inspiration?

Founded in Scotland by five directors with a shared vision, the Flower Grower Collective champions British agroecological flowers through collaboration, creativity, and community. It builds fair, local supply chains that strengthen communities, support small-scale growers, and reconnect people with seasonal, nature-friendly blooms - offering a sustainable alternative to imports.

What is the possible impact it can have in the industry?

The Flower Grower Collective is building a robust online platform linking British growers directly with florists. Through regional hubs, we streamline supply chains, cutting reliance on bulk imports caused by fragmented local access. The result: easier sourcing of seasonal flowers, stronger communities, and a fairer, greener floral industry. What is your ambition for the future of floristry?

The Flower Grower Collective is creating a UK-wide network of hubs and a digital platform, inviting more growers and florists to join. Our goal: a clear, sustainable route to market that ensures reliable access to fresh, seasonal British flowers - cutting imports, lowering costs, and reducing environmental impact.

Halliesphere

Created by Jennifer Susan, Halliesphere reimagines floristry tools as eco-conscious homewares. Proudly British made from Cornish China clay in partnership with the last remaining fine china producer in the UK, Duchess China 1888, plus our 100% recycled and recyclable acrylic version made in Wiltshire.

What problem or opportunity does it respond to?

The floral industry still relies heavily on widely non-biodegradable foam for flower arranging, which to many of us means frustration and waste. Halliesphere is a reusable, UK-made alternative - crafted to last a lifetime - that gives flower lovers and florists alike a brand new design for creating quality arrangements beautifully and sustainably, celebrating British production, heritage craft and zero air miles as a growing community.

How is it innovative? Halliesphere combines the practicality of a florist’s mechanic with the beauty of thoughtful homeware. It securely supports flowers for balanced, long-lasting arrangements, creating fuller displays with fewer stems. Its innovation lies in being both a reusable lasting design tool and a delightful homeware - durable, foam-free, and accessible to everyone, from the home to large scale events.

How did it come about? / What was the inspiration?

Inspired by a Victorian design Jennifer saw in a museum, Halliesphere began at her dining table when garden forget-me-nots thrived for weeks in the first prototype. What started as a personal solution to feeling more confident making flower arrangements without foam soon grew into a widely loved design.

What is the possible impact it can have in the industry?

Halliesphere offers a sustainable, reusable alternative to harmful foam and sharp mechanics across floristry - from home flower arrangements to weddings, funerals, and large scale events. By using fewer flowers for a full, balanced display, it reduces cost and waste while supporting British-grown blooms. Scalable for home use or professional floristry, its impact is industry-wide.

What is your ambition for the future of floristry?

To inspire a future where British-made designs replace single use plastics and harmful mechanics, and seasonal British grown flowers are widely celebrated. Halliesphere is a step towards a thriving, eco-conscious floral industry that honours sustainability and our planet.

Porta Nova

Porta Nova are a nursery based in the Netherlands operating the most environmental friendly rose greenhouses in Europe.

What problem or opportunity does it respond to?

Consumers and florists are increasingly worried about the impact of CO2 on the climate and the effects of global warming. More and more customers demand that floricultural suppliers actively take measures to reduce the carbon footprint. Porta Nova has taken the lead in this regard.

How is it innovative?

According to the new European calculation method FloriPEFCR, FUTURA has the lowest carbon footprint of all roses available. Using wind energy, it is only 56 grams CO2 per stem. That makes its footprint at least 5 to 9 times lower than similar roses flown in from Kenya or Ecuador respectively.

How did it come about? / What was the inspiration?

Our mission is to grow the best red roses in the world with a minimal impact on the environment. Over the past years, we’ve invested significantly in ground-breaking techniques to cultivate sustainably; using wind energy instead of gas, insects and UV-c light to protect the crop instead of chemicals.

What is the possible impact it can have in the industry?

With our FUTURA rose, traders, florists, arrangers and consumers finally get a sustainable choice. It is for them a great opportunity to contribute to the reduction of the ecological footprint without sacrificing ornamental value, beauty and vase life. What is your ambition for the future of floristry?

Sustainable rose cultivation is not just a hobby, it is our only license to produce. Porta Nova wants to lead the way and inspire other growers and trading partners. We have demonstrated that an ultra-low carbon footprint is possible.

Sustainable Floristry Network

Offering the first Foundation in Sustainable Floristry.

What problem or opportunity does it respond to?

The planet’s environmental crises demand urgent action from every industry - floristry is no exception. Traditional floristry qualifications are often outdated, and private courses tend to focus on design. Our online training fills a crucial gap. It gives florists an evidence-based pathway to support global sustainability goals while nurturing their business.

How is it innovative?

In applying the science of sustainability to the art and business of floristry, we’ve effectively created a new academic discipline. We collaborate with experts from multiple fields and take direction from peak sustainability organisations. We’ve translated this knowledge into affordable, accessible education with practical, solutions for working florists and designers.

How did it come about? / What was the inspiration?

In 2017, SFN founder Rita Feldmann spearheaded the #nofloralfoam movement. She soon realised the issues were much bigger than foam. And while florists were hungry for knowledge, discussions were hijacked by misinformation and greenwashing. The solution: foundational education about sustainability to support better decision-making in floristry.

What is the possible impact it can have in the industry?

Florists link producers/wholesalers with consumers – and can influence both. In empowering florists to address emissions, waste and supply chain issues, we can set a new standard for floristry – one that tackles climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. With education, collaboration and cooperation, floristry can transition to a circular economy.

What is your ambition for the future of floristry?

We want to see flowers farmed sustainably, with fair and safe working conditions for all, businesses operating within a circular economy, and flowers playing a powerful role in addressing humanity’s disconnection from nature. More than ever, the planet needs floristry that works with nature, not against it.

Strength & Stem

A charity that uses floristry to empower female modern slavery survivors to restore confidence and build abilities through training and work experience to live successful lives beyond slavery.

What problem or opportunity does it respond to?

Women who manage to escape slavery and exploitation face numerous barriers to recovery and independence. Survivors feel isolated and afraid. They want to contribute to society, and lack the skills, confidence and safe opportunities to do so.

How is it innovative?

Flowers are symbols of hope and creativity. Strength & Stem is innovative in using floristry for meaningful employment and therapeutic enjoyment. Our unique annual programme for 15 survivors and our growing alumni network seek to reduce vulnerability to re-exploitation, equip women with sustainable skills and create a place of belonging.

How did it come about? / What was the inspiration?

Jess Visser is the founder CEO of Strength & Stem. She saw first-hand the difference made by dignified and meaningful work as a former corporate head-hunter while volunteering with an anti-trafficking charity. This fuelled her determination to enable the dignity of work to be accessible for survivors of slavery.

What is the possible impact it can have in the industry?

Strength & Stem seeks to raise the capacity, confidence and awareness of all in the industry to support survivors of slavery through the providing floristry employment, training and work experience. We want our industry to be a leader in the fight to end modern slavery and human trafficking.

What is your ambition for the future of floristry?

Our ambition is to see floristry as a safe space for survivors of modern slavery to live good lives beyond the trauma and exploitation they have suffered. We would love to see compassionate, stable and inclusive learning and work environments across the floristry industry enabling survivors to flourish through flowers.

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Zara Taylor is the Head of Wholesale & Supply at Interflora.

She has worked in flowers since 2010, first at Flamingo Horticulture, then at Interflora. Zara has completed Cambridge University’s CISL course on Sustainable Business Management, and has a real personal passion for living a positive, minimal impact lifestyle.