Chelsea Flower Show: Floral Foam Banned From 2021

he Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has confirmed that floral foam will be banned from all RHS Shows from 2021.

Floral designers are being encouraged to trial alternative products for their displays at the 2020 Chelsea Flower Show on the 19th - 23rd of May 2020. Helena Pettit, the Director of Shows for RHS, stated that they were looking towards more sustainable and environmentally conscious alternatives in floral design and innovation.

Standard floral foam is a non-biodegradable plastic and doesn't breakdown over time, this has a lifetime impact on landfill and water pollution.

It is unable to be put into compost, gardens or a natural environment and the water containing crumbling floral foam fragments should not be poured down the sink, gutters or drain. This makes it incredibly difficult to decompose of floral foam.


OASIS® does have a 'Bio Floral Foam' option available at NZ floral supply outlets.

OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife with Enhanced Biodegradability is the trusted and high-quality floral foam that has now been formulated to biodegrade. This product has been shown by ASTM D5511 to biodegrade 100 percent within 567 days in biologically active landfill conditions

What is Biodegradation?

Biodegradation breaks down molecules by microbes which leaves behind methane gas, CO2 and/or organic matter. The entire mass must be broken down into these three components to be considered biodegradable.


The 2021 Chelsea Flower Show will prove to be interesting with alternative options of displaying flowers by using chicken wire, cut branches and other environmentally conscious ways of arranging flowers.


Read more about RHS banning floral foam, see the full article here

Read more about OASIS® Floral Foam Maxlife click here