Floral foam is a single-use plastic packaging item which is still widely used in the floristry industry due to its convenience storing water, holding flower stems and availability.
‘Floral foam is made from two chemicals considered to be hazardous to humans: phenol and formaldehyde. These substances are mixed with non-hazardous substances to produce the final product. A recent independent study by RMIT University in Australia showed that floral foam is a problem for aquatic animals. All animals in the study selected floral foam as a food source. The study showed that toxic compounds can leach out of the floral foam and into the surrounding water. Both consuming foam and being exposed to water surrounding floral foam particles was shown to cause harm to the aquatic animals studied.
Floral foam enters the natural environment when water containing foam is poured down a drain, the foam is discarded into a garden or soil, mixed with green waste or buried on top of a coffin.’
Read more https://www.sustainablefloristry.org/resources/floral-foam-facts/
