Why is flower waste a corporate-level environmental and cost issue?

1. Large scale and frequent updates

The floral arrangements at hotels and shopping malls are typically changed every 3–7 days. Based on an estimated 15–25 kg of flowers per week, a single location generates 0.8–1.3 tons of organic waste annually; with multiple locations and frequent activities across the group, the annual waste volume increases significantly. This waste is ultimately disposed of through landfill or incineration, increasing treatment costs and carbon footprint.

2. Hidden Environmental Costs

Air Freight and Cold Chain: Air freight of flowers during peak seasons like Valentine's Day generates massive emissions; the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) points out that in the three weeks leading up to Valentine's Day alone, flights transporting flowers globally consumed 114 million liters of fuel, producing approximately 360,000 tons of carbon dioxide. SDGS SSwagger

For example, a 2021 estimate indicated that Valentine's Day flowers airlifted from Colombia to the United States generated approximately 360,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to the emissions of 78,000 vehicles for an entire year.

3. Event ends = large amount of immediate waste

Whether it's a flower show, convention, wedding, or corporate event, short-term setups often end up being disposed of in bulk during dismantling. For example, the Philadelphia Flower Show alone can dispose of tens to hundreds of tons of plant organic matter and materials in a single event; even the best-run events require significant resources for recycling, donation, and composting. City of Philadelphia phsonline.org +1

Based on the Environmental Protection Department's Waste Reduction Division 's five dimensions of waste reduction in the "Practical Guidelines for Reducing Packaging and Packaging Management," how can knitted flowers be superior to fresh flowers?

1. Reusability (Reuse)

The government recommends encouraging the use of reusable and durable materials to replace single-use packaging, thereby extending their lifespan and reducing waste.

Advantages of knitted flowers: Knitted flowers are reusable installations—they can be repeatedly arranged in different seasons and events. Florists can achieve cross-location, cross-season, and cross-event recycling and reuse through different themes and color combinations. Their lifespan can reach several years, far exceeding the characteristic of fresh flowers that can only be used for a few days.

2. Transportation & Packaging Carbon Footprint

The government recommends reducing the use of unnecessary packaging materials, choosing reusable/environmentally friendly materials, and avoiding excessive packaging to reduce carbon emissions and waste resources.

Advantages of knitted flowers: No greenhouse or cold chain transportation is required, eliminating the high-energy-consuming refrigeration and air transport links of fresh flowers from production, preservation to arrangement.
The packaging is simple, requiring only basic dust protection, and does not require thick protective materials (such as plastic film, foam, and cardboard boxes), which greatly reduces packaging usage and carbon consumption.

3. Waste & Consumables Ratio

The government recommends avoiding the use of unnecessary packaging and single-use items, such as disposable items in hotel facilities, which should be used only partially and then discarded.
Advantages of knitted floral patterns:

Flowers are highly consumable items with a short lifespan, and each arrangement generates a large amount of floral materials and packaging waste.

In contrast, knitted flowers are durable goods that rarely need to be replaced, making them almost zero disposable items.

4. Lifespan

Government directive: Promote the use of durable and reusable materials to replace single-use products and extend their lifespan.
Advantages of knitted floral patterns:

Fresh flowers only last for about 3-7 days before wilting and needing to be discarded.

Knitted flowers, if properly preserved, can be used for 2-5 years or more (or even longer), making them a highly durable device.

5. Holistic Waste Reduction Strategy™ (Waste Reduction at Source + ESG Reporting)

The government recommends that the hotel industry regularly inventory and report on packaging usage, set reduction targets, and include them in ESG reports to improve transparency.

Advantages of knitted flowers: Using knitted flowers can be part of a waste reduction initiative – reducing the amount of flowers and packaging purchased and the frequency of waste disposal.

Its waste reduction effect has quantifiable indicators (such as how many kilograms of flowers are reduced, how much packaging material is saved, and how much cold chain transportation is reduced), which can be easily included in ESG reporting KPIs and enhance the company's green image.

Real-world examples - Dutch tulips vs. knitted flowers - Environmental impact comparison

1. Limited flowering period

- Dutch tulips: Tulips are bulbous flowers, and their flowering period is very short after being cut, generally lasting only 5–7 days.

- Knitted flowers: No wilting issues, long shelf life of 2–5 years or more, suitable for repeated use in different seasons and events.

2. Greenhouse energy consumption

- Dutch Tulips: To meet market demand outside of spring (natural blooming season), the Netherlands relies heavily on heated greenhouses and artificial lighting, resulting in significant energy consumption. Studies show that each tulip emits approximately 1–2 kg of CO₂, primarily from heating and electricity.

- Knitted flowers: Made in one go, they do not rely on any subsequent energy or greenhouse environment, making them a low-carbon product.

3. Refrigeration and Transportation Conditions

- Dutch tulips: Exports to Hong Kong and other Asian markets rely on cold chain air transport (maintained at 2–5°C), combined with refrigerated warehousing and trucks, a process with extremely high energy consumption. Cold chain and air transport account for approximately 70%–80% of the overall carbon footprint.

- Knitted flowers: No refrigeration required, can be shipped via regular express delivery, simple packaging, significantly reducing carbon footprint.

4. Packaging Requirements

- Dutch tulips: To prevent them from being crushed or dehydrated, plastic sleeves, absorbent cotton, and cardboard boxes must be used, resulting in a large amount of packaging waste.

- Knitted flowers: Only require dustproof or basic protective packaging, with almost no additional consumables.

Three steps to enterprise implementation

Step 1 | Inventory <br/>Statistically record the amount of fresh flowers used (kg/week) and replacement frequency at each location over the past 12 months to estimate the annual waste and costs. Packaging material (plastic film, foam, cardboard box) usage can also be recorded simultaneously.

Step 2 | Pilot and Validation

- Hotel lobby: Set up one 2-3 meter wide knitted flower main scene + two small tabletop scenes, and observe for 3 months.

- Shopping mall atrium: Seasonal themed installations (such as cherry blossoms in spring and sunflowers in summer), with accessories replaced each season to achieve the effect of "new season".

- KPIs: Monthly savings in procurement costs, processing fees, maintenance hours, and estimated waste reduction in kilograms.

Step 3 | Scaling Up and External ESG Communication

An annual "waste reduction dashboard" was created and incorporated into the ESG annual report; at the same time, a public announcement was made that "reusable knitted flowers were used in this scenario, reducing disposable flowers by X kilograms" to enhance public education and brand image.

Each knitted flower is as unique as a real flower.

Each flower in Everblossom's knitted flowers is hand-knitted.

The shape of each flower varies depending on the thickness of the thread and the tightness of the stitches, making each flower unique, just like a real flower. The time cost is no less than that of growing real flowers, while also avoiding the pesticide pollution problems associated with real flowers.

Contact us now to design new landscaping for your event and venue.

WhatsApp: +852 66923617
Email: everblossomhk@gmail.com