A FLORIST from Bude is leading the way in changing the funeral industry for good.  

Rachel Ellis of Bude Botanical in North Cornwall has become one of the pioneering members of The Farewell Flowers Directory, a new initiative from the florist industry. The Farewell Flowers Directory is said to be a ground-breaking online listing service that aims to get the single-use plastic foam out of funeral floristry by connecting people to florists across the UK offering natural, beautiful and compostable floral funeral arrangements.

Launched on May 6, at the start of Dying Matters Awareness Week, and organised by Hospice UK, Rachel and others hope that this push can turn the industry more ‘planet friendly’.

Discussing the eco-friendly initiative, Rachel said: “I work with families to create floral tributes for their loved ones that are beautiful and personal but that are also kind to the environment. Over the years I have found that so many families want a more personalised and planet-friendly service when it comes to choosing flowers for their loved one's funeral.

“That might mean choosing flowers that perhaps hold special memories, or that come from their loved ones' garden but it also means creating something that does no environmental harm — our arrangements are made primarily with locally grown flowers, are designed to be completely compostable and  we use no single use plastics or floral foam in our work.”

Every florist listed in The Farewell Flowers Directory and wanting to be part of the change commits to offering the option of fully compostable funeral flowers, incorporating an element of British-grown material into their designs, being transparent about the provenance of their cut material and showcasing their compostable designs on a dedicated funeral flowers page on their website.

Floral foam has become a significant environmental issue. It is estimated that every year over 14,670m3 of plastic floral foam is sent to landfill from crematoriums across the United Kingdom, the equivalent of more than six Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Rachel understands the power that well-designed flowers can have, often holding great sentimental value, however, she has also stressed the need for a more sustainable approach within the industry.

She explained: “We often make floral arrangements for keen gardeners, sometimes collecting foliage, flowers and herbs from the most wonderful gardens and often combining them with locally grown blooms.

“We can make several separate bouquets or posies and then join them together to make one large arrangement to be placed on the coffin. After the funeral service these kinds of arrangements can be split apart, and the individual bouquets and posies shared between family members to take home instead of just being left at the crematorium.”