As a company rooted in nature, sustainability is at the heart of Borrowed Light. We have implemented many changes for the better over the past few years and there’s a long way to go still. In our industry, for now, there’s a lot that’s beyond our control (use of plastic by suppliers, for example), but conversations about how we ourselves can be better happen every day.
From unused flowers and surplus from events, we dry whatever we can. We use rose and delphinium petals for wedding confetti, and the rest we transform into bouquets and save for events and weddings. Our drying process is entirely natural; we never use preservatives or bleach. We have been amazed at what dries well, from rose stems to palm fronds, we give plant material a second life wherever we can.
Sourcing is a large part of sustainability. We regularly source fresh flowers from two flower farms in the Greater London area and use a further provider who sources nationwide. Fresh flowers are available from March until late October in the UK. Where possible we encourage the use of plants such as spring bulbs and Hellebores in the winter months as well as using dried flowers.
We go to lengths to make sure that as much of our material as possible is compostable. We never use floral foam – there are many innovative alternatives for keeping flowers fresh, such as moss and chicken wire or sand.
We also no longer buy anything chemically preserved or dyed, instead using eco-friendly water and chalk-based paints and non-toxic sprays wherever additional colour is needed.
We frequently use trees and plants as part of our displays, which we care for and use repeatedly, minimising the use of cut material and wastage.
In the shop, all our packaging is biodegradable. We use brown paper wrap, brown string, brown paper bags and even brown paper tape – all of which will quickly decompose on the compost heap.
All our green waste, we compost, and what cardboard we don’t compost gets recycled. We are thoughtful about which materials can be reused; even the plastic pots from the plants we buy are offered to our community for free (pop in and see us if you’re propagating or repotting!)
While we are not entirely plastic free just yet – to guarantee this as a florist in the city today is almost impossible – we do whatever we can within our reach to reduce our use of plastic. Whether this means choosing paper-wrapped stems over those wrapped in plastic, or pestering our suppliers to retrieve their plastic crates, we work with a mindset that *we can always do better*, and eventually triggers a shift within the industry.
British & Local Flowers
British flowers are our favourite because they are uniquely wild and beautiful, as well as being the most sustainable option. We can grown such an amazing array of cutting flowers in the UK, often with incredible scents which just don't come with greenhouse grown flowers. From March until October we use them in most our our events and weddings and offer seasonal bunches in the shop.
Using all-British flowers all year round is challenging and costly, but we are always doing our best to source more British, growing some varieties ourselves and sourcing others from local growers, including our community gardens here in Walthamstow. We also encourage the use of evergreen trees, plants, moss and bulbs for events over the colder months when the supply of British flowers is less plentiful.
