Still, no floral foam!

It's been about 9 years (woah!)  since I first blogged about floral foam and I'm still foam free.  I shared an old msds sheet for a popular brand of regular foam online so folks could see what was in it.  I even made some suggestions for more transparency, better alternatives.

Have companies offered alternatives in response? There are the new plastic cages from Holly Chapple that allow you to design foam free. But still, it's plastic. Would love to have seen a reusable metal version. There is also a biodegradable foam from a major brand that is said to biodegrade in under two years in a biologically active landfills.  But I have not heard anything about the msds cautions or if the formaldehyde and other toxins and carcinogens are still in this new formula. But, there is still plenty of metal chicken wire, and that is still what I depend on the most.

Florists all over the world are noticing that we don't need to depend so heavily on plastics and foam, and there seems to be more movement in this generation to go back to old methods of floral design without plastics. (I for one try to never use plastic vessels)  There is even an instagram movement to share foam free designs and to get more information about floral foam's effect on the environment and oceans on a molecular level. 

Let's continue to fuel this movement toward a healthier floral industry, including florists and the planet we live on.