The Church of England’s parliament is set to vote next month on a motion urging its places of worship to ban floral foam and other non-biodegradable products in a bid for greater environmental sustainability.
The proposed change specifically targets floral foam, a material widely used in arrangements but containing microplastics and being non-recyclable.
This initiative forms part of a wider effort to make church practices more environmentally friendly.
Instead, churches would be encouraged to embrace eco-friendly practices, utilising their own gardens for displays, composting waste, and repurposing Sunday flowers for midweek services or donating them to care homes and hospitals.
Parishioners could also be asked to contribute flowers from their gardens or pot plants from home, a suggestion believed to foster community spirit and reduce costs.
The Bishop of Dudley, the Right Reverend Martin Gorick, said General Synod members voting for his motion "will encourage all Church of England parishes, chaplaincies and cathedrals to join this growing ecumenical movement glorifying God through sustainable church flowers".
In a paper ahead of the Synod meeting in London in February, he stated: “From adorning altars to celebrating weddings and marking seasonal festivals, floral arrangements bring beauty, symbolism, and a sense of reverence to sacred spaces.
“Yet, behind their elegance lies an often-overlooked reality: traditional floristry can carry significant environmental costs. Imported blooms, single-use plastics, chemical preservatives, and non-compostable floral foam all contribute to waste and carbon emissions.”
Synod members are being urged to glorify God using the gifts of creation “in a way that works with nature, not against it”.
The motion calls on members to vote to embrace the principles of the Sustainable Church Flowers movement through the promotion of local, seasonal and fully biodegradable or compostable flowers and foliage; encourage the use of locally-sourced and in-season blooms; and stop using floral foam “and all similar non-biodegradable and non-reusable products and techniques”.
