course one

Foundation in Sustainable Floristry

Transform your practice,
and the industry,
for a healthy global future.
$385 AUD

Why this course?

The course really gave me food for thought and made me question what I can do better. It feels very positive — it gives hope, and direction. Highly recommended to anyone who uses flowers and cares about this planet we call home.   
RENAE - FLORISTRY EDUCATOR, AUSTRALIA
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Florists love nature. That’s why we do it.

But while the planet’s environmental crises accelerate, floristry presents a number of sustainability challenges. Floristry is associated with waste and pollution, contributes to climate change and creates issues for people when huge quantities of flowers are transported across the globe.

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Florists have the power to create change. They just need to know how.

From selecting flowers to choosing designs and passing information to customers, florists are making hundreds of decisions every day. But knowing what makes a ‘more sustainable decision’ isn’t always obvious.


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Floristry education often fails to address sustainability. This course fills that gap.

Whether you're a teacher, student, working florist or hobbyist, this course delivers a sustainability education program designed to benefit the whole industry.

This course connects the science of sustainability
to the art of floristry.

By sifting through the science and applying academic research to floristry, we identify a clear pathway to a new, practical system for design and doing business. 
Over 9 self-paced hours, students explore the problems facing floristry, identify solutions and learn how they can play a powerful role in shaping a nature-positive future industry.
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What our students have to say:

This course is thorough, enlightening, moving, terrifying, urgent, essential, galvanising, and so much more. Essential for anyone who wants to make a living from floristry.”

Louisina Currie
flower farmer & florist, UK
The course really gave me food for thought and made me question what I can do better. It feels very positive — it gives hope, and direction. Highly recommended to anyone who uses flowers and cares about this planet we call home.
Sarah diligent,
florist & author, a guide to floral mechanics, UK.
Very thorough and clear! The video content is brilliant and the interviewees were very informative. I like that this course wasn't particularly about design. I feel like that is a whole other course. This course is more about gaining wider knowledge about the floral industry & really changing mindset. I was thinking while doing the course that EVERY florist needs to do this!!
MARGIE, florAL DESIGNER, AU

What's included?

Students have six months to complete the course, at their own pace. Upon completion, students receive a certificate, verifying their CPD achievements.

Hear from the experts

Our interviews with global floriculture experts from the Sustainable Cut Flowers Project, UK, provide expert insight into the challenges faced by the industry.
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Rich in video content

Our video interviews and multimedia resources deliver complex information in an engaging and stimulating format. 
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Motivation to change behaviour

Our carefully curated collection of resources have been designed to inspire action as much as they inform students.

Evidence-based learning

Content is supported by references, links to resources and further reading so students can pursue interests beyond the course requirements.

Self-assessment

Short quizzes throughout invite reflection and reinforce learning to help guide students through the process of better decision making.

A new system

We show students how a principles-based approach to design and doing business can collectively transform the industry for a better global future.

What will
I learn?

The course includes 14 units of between ~ 30 mins - 1 hour. Some students complete this in a day or two, while some choose a unit per session, over a longer period. It's up to you.

Sustainability

Define ‘sustainability’, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as our guide.

Environment

Learn about what's at stake and how florists can tackle climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

Global industry

Discover how the global floriculture industry functions and identify sustainability issues along supply chains.

Soil to vase

Discover what's involved in farming flowers on a commercial scale how this can impact the local environment.

Certifications

Use cut-flower certifications effectively through understanding what they represent.

Design

Design out waste by conserving resources and designing for the planet.

Emissions

Identify how transport — and farming inputs and methods — impact greenhouse gas emissions.

Circular economy

Move away from our 'take-make-waste' linear approach — to conserving resources through circular systems.

Ethics

Invest in ethics by valuing natural capital in all decision-making.

People

Consider how people are impacted by supply chain structures and how this applies to floristry.

Flowers

Choose better flowers through informed decision-making and wholesale buying.

Communication

Be an ambassador for nature using creativity and knowledge to protect to the natural world.

The SFN is an independent education and membership organisation for florists.

At the SFN, we are creating a new standard for floristry, based around sustainability principles.

We saw a need for truly independent, science-based education that builds sustainability in from the beginning.

This is the first course in our Flowers 2030 education program

Will the course certify me as a 'sustainable florist'?

No. The SFN is an education and membership organisation.

We do not run a certification scheme or a compliance program. That means the SFN does not accredit, certify or audit individuals or businesses as 'sustainable florists'.  

Certification is an important way of setting standards in many industries (including floriculture – you’ll learn more about that in the course), but it is an intense and often expensive process. And making claims about 'being sustainable' can have specific country-specific meanings in consumer law.  

Instead, the course provides a thorough grounding in sustainable principles and practices – as they apply to floristry. And completing the course is the first step to becoming an SFN Member Florist.  

What is SFN Membership?

The SFN Flowers 2030 Education program is running until 2030 to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and help meet emissions targets set by the Paris Agreement. The SFN Member Florist program is running alongside the education program, for florists who wish to commit to a new system for designing flowers and doing business.

Become an SFN Member Florist for 2024 - 2025

To be eligible for the SFN Membership Program for 2024 - 2025, you'll need to:

1. Complete Foundation in Sustainable Floristry.

2. Commit to the SFN Member Pledge.

What are the benefits of membership?

Digital badge

Florists who become SFN Member Florists will receive an SFN member badge for use on their website and email. This digital credential will enable viewers to verify the florist’s achievements and commitment to the program.

Member badge
Setting a new standard
By becoming an SFN Member, you will be actively working to transform the world of floral design for a better global future.

The more practitioners who work towards the principles, the further we can shift the general model of floristry to a better standard.
Join the directory
Consumers who genuinely want to make a more sustainable purchase need a clear choice. The SFN Member Directory helps customers to make better decisions about the florist they choose.

What is CPD?

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) describes the learning activities professionals engage in to develop their skills in a particular industry.
According to The Certification Service, "CPD encourages looking forward and identifying opportunities to learn something new, refresh existing knowledge, improve skills, or simply keep up-to-date with the latest developments within a particular profession or industry".

While many industries use CPD education to maintain industry standards, CPD is uncommon in floristry. But we believe florists should have a way to learn new skills and demonstrate their expanded knowledge.
The SFN is a CPD training provider member of The Certification Service, and the Foundation in Sustainable Floristry course is CPD certified. This means that the course conforms to global CPD education principles.
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A FORCE FOR NATURE

SFN is resetting ideas about flowers and floral design for a healthy global future. We believe that together, we can transform the world of floristry into a sustainable one.
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