Floral foam: why we stopped using it, and what to use instead.

Most of us in this industry grew up with the green brick. You soak it, you stick stems in it, and it holds everything exactly where you want it. It's cheap, fast and familiar. It's also a plastic.

Traditional floral foam is a single-use plastic foam. After an event it crumbles, it doesn't break down the way the flowers in it do, and most of it ends up in a landfill or rinsed down a drain.

What the research found

A study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment looked at what happens to floral foam as it breaks apart. The researchers found it fragments into microplastic particles, and that aquatic animals ingest them. Those particles don't go away. That was enough for us.

What we use instead

At Florida Fresh we moved away from floral foam. We design with:

• Chicken wire, shaped into the container to hold stems in place, and reusable many times.
• Pin frogs, the heavy spiked holders that sit in the bottom of a vessel and last for years.
• Water. Stems in water last, and the mechanics come apart cleanly for reuse and composting after the event.

When a design truly can't work without foam, we use a biodegradable product. Be careful here, though: "biodegradable" depends on the conditions it ends up in, so ask the manufacturer how and where it breaks down before you repeat the claim to a client. The greenwashing guide explains why that matters.

If you still use foam

You don't have to switch overnight. Start with one category, like centerpieces, and design them foam-free. Keep foam crumbs and dust out of sinks and drains, and bag them for the trash instead. Then move to the next category when your team is comfortable.

How to talk to clients about it

Most clients have never thought about what holds their centerpiece together. When you tell them, keep it simple and true: "We design without floral foam, which is a plastic. Your arrangements are held with reusable wire and water, and the flowers can be composted afterward." That's a specific, honest claim, and it's one clients remember.