Environmental Impact of Flowers

Alternatives to imported flowers, such as charitable donations, homemade gifts, potted plants, and releasing doves, butterflies, or bubbles, are common for funeral or memorial services. While traditional floral arrangements often express grief, love, or respect, concerns about the environmental impact have many individuals seeking alternatives. These alternatives can also offer a more personal tribute.

Personalized visuals—such as releasing doves, butterflies, or bubbles—can carry deep meaning during a funeral or memorial service. For instance, the release of glowing lanterns into the evening sky can create a cherished memory for those who are grieving. Although balloons are often suggested for such moments, they can be harmful to the environment due to the waste they create. That said, some people still prefer balloon releases and may choose to include them in the service if fully biodegradable options are used.

Alternatives that honor the memory of your loved one can bring comfort. Some people suggest homemade, personalized items that reflect shared memories or the unique interests of the departed. Others may choose to ask attendees to make charitable donations to an organization the deceased supported or felt connected to. Many organizations allow donations to be made in someone’s memory, offering a meaningful way for attendees to contribute to a tribute that reflects the values of a loved one and helps build a lasting legacy.

If flowers remain the preferred choice and alternatives are being considered due to the environmental impact of imported blooms, consider sourcing flowers locally. Choosing local flowers supports nearby businesses and reduces the carbon footprint associated with importing. Some may prefer investing in a potted plant or tree, which, with proper care, can serve as a living tribute and enduring memorial while also benefiting the environment rather than causing additional harm.

Sources 

“Alternatives to Flowers for a Funeral”. Une Belle Vie Memorial Urns. https://decorative-urns.com/cremation-blog/custom-cremation-urns/alternatives-to-flowers-for-a-funeral/ 

“Why Sending Flowers After a Death Is Not the Best Alternative”. Wealth Management. https://www.wealthmanagement.com/client-relations/why-sending-flowers-after-a-death-is-not-the-best-alternative

Short of buying flowers from local growers whose horticultural practices you can verify yourself, the best way to find sustainable flowers is to look for a label you can trust. Columbia’s “Florverde Sustainable Flowers, for example, is an organization that develops rigorous sustainability standards for the floriculture industry that are regularly verified by independent testing groups, including Icontec in Bogotá, Geneva-based SGS, S.A. (Société Générale de Surveillance), and Naturacert, also in Bogotá, These groups monitor compliance by reviewing farm documentation, interviewing workers, conducting lab tests and visiting the farms. Flowers grown at certified farms will carry the Florverde label or a label indicating they are FSF Certified.

Florverde standards address a number of environmental and social concerns. For example, Florverde-certified farms conserve water through the use of drip irrigation and rainwater collection, and use hummus rather than chemicals to fertilize the plants. They also minimize (although don’t totally avoid) the use of chemical pesticides by integrating natural pest control into the environment, and practice “environmentally sensitive” disposal of waste. In all, the organization’s standards encompass 13 separate areas of concern, including responsible management practices, labor rights, worker welfare and education, health and safety protocols, water and land conservation and more. 

To find a retailer that sells Floverde flowers, you can search the Florverde website for a list of wholesalers, distributors and retailers in the U.S. and abroad. Here in the U.S., for example, Publix, Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, 1-800 Flowers, Proflowers, Kroger, HEB all source their cut flowers from Florverde-certified farms. Additionally, you can search the Slow Flowers website to find local flower growers and florists, retail outlets and event planners who buy their flowers from North American farms. Keep in mind, however, that Slow Flowers only collects information about where flowers are grown. The group does not monitor safety practices, working conditions, pesticide use or any benchmark that would indicate the flowers you buy from these sources are “sustainable.” 

Sources

Iconotec. https://www.iso.org/member/1644.html 

NaturaCert. https://naturacert.org/en/home/ 

“FSF Standards As An Unexpected Way to Facing COVID-19 in the Flower Sector”. Florverde. https://www.florverde.org/en/fsf-standards-as-an-unexpected-way-to-facing-covid-19-in-the-flower-sector/ 

“Find Certified Organizations”. Floraverde. https://www.florverde.org/en/where-to-buy/ 

SlowFlowers. https://www.slowflowers.com/ 

Flowers are a beautiful addition to a funeral or memorial service. But the cultivation, transport, and disposal of flowers have a substantial impact on the environment, which is important to keep in mind when planning a funeral service or memorial event. The following are just a few of the potential environmental concerns:

Transportation

Nearly 90% of cut flowers purchased in the West are imported, most of them from South America, with Colombian and Ecuadorian imports leading the pack. The remainder come from a variety of countries, most notably the Netherlands, which in turn sources the bulk of its exported flowers from Africa. And while it can be argued that the use of flowers imported from these countries is actually more sustainable than growing them at home, since they can be grown without the use of heated greenhouses and artificial light, the carbon footprint is notable. Hauling an estimated $13 billion worth of cut flowers across the globe in refrigerated cargo holds annually uses a lot of energy. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, in 2018, Valentine’s Day flowers grown in Colombia and transported to the U.S. alone generated 360,000 tons of CO₂ — that’s roughly equivalent to driving 78,000 cars for one year. 

Pesticides and Fertilizer

Although the floriculture industry is working to become more sustainable, the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides is still widespread. Colombian flower growers, for example, use up to 12 different pesticides, while some countries in Africa use up to 120, including pesticides containing chemicals such as DDT and methylbromide, which are banned in the West. But because cut flowers are not an edible product, the amount of chemical residue contained in imported flowers isn’t regulated by the U.S. In fact, the U.S. and most of Europe require that imported flowers are insect-free, which encourages unbridled pesticide use. 

The use of fertilizers and pesticides is particularly impactful in flower-growing regions of Africa, where run-off from flower farms is destroying ecosystems and polluting local water supplies. In Kenya, for example, most flowers are grown on the shores of Lake Naivasha, a fragile ecosystem that is home to over 400 species of birds, thousands of hippos, wildebeest, and many different types of fish. Since the floriculture industry began to flourish in the late 1990s, overuse of water has shrunk the lake to half its original size, and fertilizer and pesticide pollution has caused fish stock to collapse. What’s more, the number of workers required to support the industry has brought the population of the nearby city of Naivasha to 240,000 (up from 6,000 twenty years ago). With little infrastructure to support this growth, sewage and human waste are polluting the water supply as well. 

Human Cost

While it can’t be measured in dollars and cents or metric tons, the human cost of floriculture is an important consideration for consumers as well. In most countries that mass-produce flowers, workers are subjected to long hours and poor working conditions and are paid far less than a living wage. In Colombia, for example, roughly one in 100 people are employed by the floriculture industry, the vast majority of them women. Most work under contract for about $32 a week, putting in 15-hour days while breathing in chemical residue from pesticides and fertilizers. In Africa, workers are subject to equally poor conditions, but earn even less — in Kenya, for example, an average worker in the floral industry earns about $6.50 a week. 

In recent years, however, some Colombian flower producers have taken steps to address these human rights concerns. The environmental advocacy organization “Florverde,” for example, has developed standards that address both environmental issues and working conditions for those employed in the industry. These include subsidies for housing and education; literacy programs; free child care; higher-than-average wages and shorter-than-average work weeks; on-site health care; and a full benefits package that includes medical, disability and retirement insurance. 

​​Sources

Florverde Sustainable Flowers. Florverde. https://www.florverde.org/ 

“Yes, your mother loves the flowers, but maybe not the cost of flying them in”. International Council on Clean Transportation. https://theicct.org/yes-your-mother-loves-the-flowers-but-maybe-not-the-cost-of-flying-them-in/ 

Floriculture Sustainability Initiative. https://www.fsi2025.com/