For over six decades, the American Floral Endowment (AFE) has represented the floral
community, providing and sharing free resources to all segments, thanks to the generosity
donors. As the industry’s leading charitable organization, AFE receives and invests donations,
generating funding that advances floriculture through research, education, and special
programming. Recently, the Endowment has been working on a new program aimed to further
that growth – Sustainabloom.
Sustainabloom is a research-driven program created to provide in-depth guides and resources about sustainability developed by top researchers in the field. Conversations with industry members revealed that many were overwhelmed by sustainability and didn’t know where to start. The program takes a comprehensive approach to areas of sustainability and breaks it down, piece by piece, for florists and other industry members to implement in their respective operations.
All in One Place
When AFE established its sustainability initiative in 2021, it enlisted the help of top researchers. One of the research team members, Dr. Melinda Knuth from North Carolina State University, said she welcomed the opportunity to develop ways to provide sustainability information, especially to small- and medium-sized floral businesses worldwide.
The research team spent months gathering more than1,000 pieces of information from academic journals,
reports, surveys, and other materials. From there, the information was synthesized and distilled from high-level academic and scientific jargon to easy-to-understand language and sorted into a variety of resources, such as:
● Comprehensive Guides including how-tos, financial benefits, clear definitions, and
recommendations on a variety of topics
● Assessment Tools to help you see where you are and where you have room to improve
● Government & Funding information to help you see what funding might be available to you
These are just a few of the many resources housed on the Sustainabloom website, which is updated regularly with the latest news and guides as they become available.
So, What Does This Mean for You as a Florist or Floral Designer?
Sustainabloom has many resources for retailers, including, but not limited to, Circular Economy &
Community Engagement, Composting, Consumer Demand & Preferences, Plastics, and more!
Consumers are paying more attention to, and demanding more sustainable practices, and with
Sustainabloom, you can help the environment and boost your community engagement and profitability.
Ongoing Mission
Sustainability is an ongoing process that is changing all the time. To that end, research and
information-sharing must constantly forge ahead to keep up.
NC State Ph.D. student Amanda Solliday, who serves as part of the research team, noted, “In
some ways, what we are learning and producing today in the floriculture industry might look
different in two years. But that doesn’t negate the importance of what we are doing right now. It
strengthens it. It’s so important to keep on top of all the information, and it keeps things
manageable for industry members as things change around us.”
The next phase of the Sustainabloom program involves a deeper dive into many of the
sustainability areas that have guides, and gathering more data where available information is
lacking, writing sustainability plans with companies, and learning from their experience along the
way to share with others.
We invite you to join us in this vital mission to continuously educate and provide new resources
for all by getting involved with Sustainabloom! Explore the website and resources at
sustainabloom.org.
