A national survey of the four supply-chain sectors involved in the production and sale of flowers and ornamental plants shows that sustainability practices – those already implemented and those planned for the future – differ by sector. The findings could provide a roadmap of specific needs to help all sectors reach sustainability goals.

North Carolina State University researchers were interested in learning – from flower growers, wholesalers, retail florists and floral suppliers in the United States – what types of sustainable practices have already been implemented in the floriculture industry and what kinds of sustainability plans – and roadblocks – were expected for the future.

Broadly, floriculture sustainability incorporates practices that conserve resources, minimize waste, and support worker and community well-being, says Amanda Solliday, a Ph.D. student in horticultural science at NC State and first author of a paper that describes the survey and its results. The study helps document what sustainability in floriculture means within that broad umbrella of concepts and potential practices.

“What was missing, and what our study helps provide, is some detail around what sustainability in floriculture specifically looks like in production and operational settings, or what it might look like in the future,” she said.

The survey showed that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the practice of sustainability for the four floriculture sectors.

“Even though businesses across the floral supply chain are interconnected, many of the sustainability needs and goals vary by segment and need to be understood that way,” Solliday said.

Healthy majorities of respondents in the wholesale, retail and supplier sectors already recycle containers and use LED lighting, according to the survey. About half also report that they work to reduce flower and plant packaging.

“One thing that stood out across the survey responses was interest in reducing plastics and packaging,” Solliday said. “That’s something the supply chain can tackle more effectively together, instead of it falling on a single group.”

Besides recycling and using LED lighting, the survey showed wholesalers also focus on cold-chain management, or keeping flowers and plants at controlled lower temperatures to keep them fresher for longer periods of time, a critical practice to reduce waste with a perishable product.

The sectors showed greater differences when asked about possible future sustainable practices. Nearly half of wholesalers reported interest in fuel-efficient vehicles, which held less interest in the other sectors, while nearly one in four retail florists had an interest in water waste reduction, which didn’t top the lists of any other sectors.

Solliday noted that about a quarter of growers showed interest in replacements for peat, a common plant substrate that can have notable carbon emission implications depending on sourcing and management.

When asked about sustainability planning, almost two-thirds of suppliers (63%) reported having plans already in place, with 26% more considering a sustainability plan. On the other hand, less than one in five growers reported previous sustainability planning, although 29% were considering a sustainability plan. All the businesses surveyed that have a sustainability plan in place had implemented those plans within the past five years.

“In general, businesses in these sectors seem to be moving from picking individual sustainability elements to having a more cohesive strategy,” Solliday said.

All four sectors report that implementation costs are the largest barrier to adopting sustainable practices.

Meanwhile, when asked about the top factors affecting business outcomes, all four sectors had different top responses. As might be expected, growers selected the weather, while wholesalers listed market demand. Suppliers ranked supply-chain disruption as the top factor affecting their businesses, while retail florists focused on labor costs.

Besides cost concerns, Solliday said that communication barriers between sectors could also be a roadblock to these supply-chain sectors working together.

“It would be interesting to see how supply-chain groups are communicating with each other about sustainability practices,” she said. “In addition, I think if we were to broaden the survey and find more people who aren’t practicing sustainability to provide input, that could be quite valuable for understanding limits of sustainability implementation.”

Solliday added that county extension agents can be a conduit for sustainability in the floriculture industry.

“Part of it is making sure that people have tailored information and comprehensive planning templates, which can help them understand where to start sustainability efforts at their businesses,” she said. “Extension agents and grower organizations can likely assist here.”

Allison Langston and Melinda Knuth from NC State co-authored the paper, which appears in Frontiers in Sustainability.

This work was supported by the American Floral Endowment’s Sustainabloom program.

- kulikowski -