Our Sustainable Spirit

We’re proud to use British-grown flowers in our posies, grow with ecological principles, support British farmers and use eco-friendly packaging all year round. 

MeadowSweet's founder, Sophie, holds a Masters in Sustainable Development, and uses British flowers and foliage throughout the year, choosing the best of what’s local and seasonal to avoid the air miles and carbon emissions associated with imported blooms.

We use flowers grown in the South West of England and sometimes grown under glass from Lincolnshire. Alongside using trusted British flower farmers, Sophie and her mum have a plot to grow their own blooms, too. 

On our plot we use agro-ecological principles to work alongside nature and increase local biodiversity. Our main flower farm partner uses natural, organic fertilisers and minimal chemicals and pesticides on their land. They grow outdoors and in unheated, unlit poly-tunnels providing food for pollinators and opportunities for increased biodiversity. Flower waste is composted and returned back to the land. Our main Lincolnshire supplier uses biomass boilers and solar for energy and a rainwater harvesting system for watering.

Locally-grown, seasonal flowers have been found to have 90% lower carbon footprint than imported blooms, which are often cold-chain, air-freighted from equatorial countries and sent via The Netherlands to the UK. Occasionally in mid winter we may need to reserve the option to add a few 'filler' stems from elsewhere if we are really struggling for winter variety but this will account for less than 1% of annual flower content.

Our packaging is thoughtfully chosen. We use recycled, unbleached cardboard for our boxes, biofilm stickers, 100% recycled paper, eco flower-pouches to keep stems hydrated and eco flower food sachets. Our British-made glass jars have up to 60% recycled-content and can be rinsed and reused by our subscription customers or recycled for single orders.

We worked with Southampton University in the preparation of our first Sustainability Report using GRI principles and we look forward to increased reporting in the future.

We’re also proud to support Rewilding Britain, donating 1% of our gross annual sales to help expand wild spaces across the UK. 

If you're interested in our British flower posies, you can choose a One-off Posy or if you'd prefer a regular delivery through the year, you can choose our Subscriptions.