Cuckfield florist's push to make funeral industry more eco friendly

Chez Fleur florist, Belinda Campopiano, is hoping to raise awareness about the use of floral foam for funeral flowers and large scale arrangements.

Belinda explained how the traditional foam used by many florists up and down the country is non biodegradable and can cause many issues for the environment.

She said: “Most members of the public are not aware that the floral foam, such as the well-known brand Oasis, which is used for funeral arrangements is not biodegradable nor is it reusable.”

A supposedly biodegradable version has recently been introduced but it still only breaks down in very specific landfill conditions which cannot be guaranteed.

Floral foam is widely used because it is extremely useful. Using it to anchor flower stems in it, florists can build enormous and in some cases gravity defying arrangements.

The foam soaks up water which improves the longevity of the flowers.