What does it mean for Bloomiér to be zero-waste? 

What does it mean for Bloomiér to be zero-waste? 

Zero-Waste Business: Using sustainable methods like source reduction and maximizing diversion, a zero-waste company sends minimal amounts of waste to traditional disposal pathways like landfills and incinerators. A business that goes zero waste aims to achieve a diversion rate that ranges from 90% to 100%.

At Bloomiér we ensure that less than 10% of materials used in our business go to the landfill. Every service we book goes through a values and technique check to make sure it aligns with this.

Taking Extra Steps

In order to operate a zero-waste business, we take steps that are against the grain of the traditional flower studio model. A few of our steps are listed below. If you’d like to read more in detail about our choices and story of sustainability, you can do so here. 

• Waste Management. We put in extra time, effort, and energy to confidently care for every step of our waste management. We carefully separate even the smallest items into the compost, reuse, and recycling. We also redesign and donate all gently-used flowers at the end of  events, in order for them to be enjoyed as long as possible.
   

• Education + Partnerships. It is important to us to keep our knowledge relevant and to always keep growing and learning. As a team we have completed sustainability courses, toured the landfill and recycling centres, and we pursue partnerships with experts in the zero-waste field in order to remain accountable and up to date.

Our Waste Summary 

These are the items that make up the waste we send to the landfill. They are few and far between, often totalling to less than a handful of each after even our largest events. We are hopeful and actively working to decrease this amount. We are constantly searching ways to avoid their use, or for ways to repurpose them to extend their life. If you are someone who could put any of these items to use, or if you have alternative solutions for us, we would love to chat. Please contact us at [email protected]

• Broken Glass Vase. Though glass is recyclable, broken glass is considered a hazard to the workers who collect and sort recyclables, so it is not accepted. We don’t break things often, but if you have a craft, hobby, or practical use for broken glass, we would love to be in touch if we have any on hand.

   

• Blue Twist Ties. On occasion we will receive flower bundles from the growers wrapped in these twist ties. We collect and save these, but our use for them is very limited. Could you make use of these in your home or hobby?

   

•  Broken Rubber Labels. Some flower bunches come with a rubber label wrapped around them. We do our best to keep these in good shape to be returned and reused. Unfortunately, at times they do snap.

   

• Floral Tape. Floral tape is a waterproof tape that is discrete and useful in design. For example, we sometimes use it to hold chicken wire into a vase, so the weight of the flowers does not cause the chicken wire to lift and the arrangement to fall over. We avoid it when we can and would love to find a new solution for times when its purpose is needed in design.

What does it mean for Bloomiér to be zero-waste? 

What does it mean for Bloomiér to be zero-waste? 

Zero-Waste Business: Using sustainable methods like source reduction and maximizing diversion, a zero-waste company sends minimal amounts of waste to traditional disposal pathways like landfills and incinerators. A business that goes zero waste aims to achieve a diversion rate that ranges from 90% to 100%.

At Bloomiér we ensure that less than 10% of materials used in our business go to the landfill. Every service we book goes through a values and technique check to make sure it aligns with this.

Taking Extra Steps

In order to operate a zero-waste business, we take steps that are against the grain of the traditional flower studio model. A few of our steps are listed below. If you’d like to read more in detail about our choices and story of sustainability, you can do so here. 

• Online Store Using a Subscription Model. Our online subscription model enables us to buy the exact number of fresh flowers we need each week, so we do not need to keep extra stock on hand. This means that no flowers get thrown away at the end of the day. It also enables us to strategically deliver in geographic groupings to reduce our carbon emissions from excessive driving.

• Design Mechanics. We do not use plastic water pouches, floral foam, or other single-use items that are common in our industry. Instead, we go out of our way to use chicken wire, Agra wool, and to search for never-ending uses for all of our materials.

• Waste Management. We put in extra time, effort, and energy to confidently care for every step of our waste management. We carefully separate even the smallest items into the compost, reuse, and recycling. We also redesign and donate all gently-used flowers at the end of events, in order for them to be enjoyed as long as possible.

• Education + Partnerships. It is important to us to keep our knowledge relevant and to always keep growing and learning. As a team we have completed sustainability courses, toured the landfill and recycling centres, and we pursue partnerships with experts in the zero-waste field in order to remain accountable and up to date.

Our Waste Summary 

These are the items that make up the waste we send to the landfill. They are few and far between, often totalling to less than a handful of each after even our largest events. We are hopeful and actively working to decrease this amount. We are constantly searching ways to avoid their use, or for ways to repurpose them to extend their life. If you are someone who could put any of these items to use, or if you have alternative solutions for us, we would love to chat. Please contact us at [email protected]

• White Elastic Ties. Most flower bunches arrive wrapped in these ties so the growers can keep track of their inventory by the bunch. While we save these and try to reuse them, we find they are weak and snap easily for our designs. Do you own a small clothing brand? We think they would be a great material to use to attach tags to garments.

• Zip Ties. We actively try to use zip ties as a last resort option in designing. It was recently confirmed for us that these are not accepted in plastic recycling, as their small size can get mixed up easily and contaminate a whole batch of recycling, sending it all to the landfill. This has motivated us to be even more strict against their use.

• Cardboard with Sticky Tape. Many studio items, such as vases, come packaged in cardboard. We recycle as much of it as possible, but if there is a section that has tape attached, it is considered a contaminant and unable to be recycled.

• Broken Glass Vase. Though glass is recyclable, broken glass is considered a hazard to the workers who collect and sort recyclables, so it is not accepted. We don’t break things often, but if you have a craft, hobby, or practical use for broken glass, we would love to be in touch if we have any on hand.

• Blue Twist Ties. On occasion we will receive flower bundles wrapped in these twist ties. We collect and save these, but our use for them is very limited. Could you make use of these in your home or hobby?

•  Broken Rubber Labels. Some flower bunches come with a rubber label wrapped around them. We do our best to keep these in good shape to be returned and reused. Unfortunately, at times they do snap.

• Floral Tape. Floral tape is a waterproof tape that is discrete and useful in design. For example, we sometimes use it to hold chicken wire into a vase, so the weight of the flowers does not cause the chicken wire to lift and the arrangement to fall over. We avoid it when we can and would love to find a new solution for times when its purpose is needed in design.

Do you have any ideas or questions to share with us? We would love it if you got in touch.