Are flowers a dying gift this Mother’s Day?

Media release
06 May 2016
Are flowers a dying gift this Mother’s Day?

With consumers increasingly looking to buy sustainable products, an old fashioned bunch of flowers is being replaced by a growing trend towards living plants.

Auckland-based gift business, GivePlants, is predicting a 40% jump in Mother’s Day sales this year on the back of the steady rise of consumers who are shopping with sustainability in mind.

Director, Jerrod Griffith, says this increase reflects people’s growing awareness about the importance of giving gifts that last and the environmental impact some products have.

“For Mother’s Day, having some precious time to herself is probably the most sought after gift a mum could get. But receiving something that lasts and grows is becoming incredibly popular.

“It’s a cliché, but plants are the gift that keeps giving. They have got great gift mileage and they’re a present someone will still be picking fruit off in 10 years time.”

Here and overseas the floral industry is still big business, but has come under increasing pressure to reduce the amount of chemicals used to keep flowers fresh, and to cut back on the packaging and cellophane used to wrap them.

While there are no hard statistics for New Zealand, last year in America US$2.4 billion (NZ$3.19 billion) was spent on flowers for Mother’s Day which eventually end up in landfills weeks later.

Mr Griffith says cut flowers emit methane inside your home, and along with the packaging and plastic stem tubes that ends up in the rubbish, means they have a hugely negative impact on the environment.

“Plants are a great alternative, and an obvious one. They produce oxygen, and naturally filter the air in your home. I’ve never really seen plants as a fashion statement or trend, more common sense.”

ENDS

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