Identification and Environmental Impact of 35 Different Cut Flower Retail Packages in the U.S.A.

Cut flowers represent 35-billion dollars of global spending with 10-million dollars per day in the U.S.A; each transaction involving packaging. Across the country, cut flower packaging is inconsistently sized, laminated, colored, and unlikely to be recycled. 35 unique cut flower packages were collected across 16 different marketplaces, representing 88% of top grocery retailers. Measuring the materiality of the predominately unlabeled and inconsistent packaging collected required calorimetry equipment, such as Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimeter, and precision gauges. Results unveil five materials representing the cut flower collection: Oriented Polypropylene (OPP), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Paper, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Nonwoven Polypropylene (NW PP). Modified cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessments for all packages were conducted and analyzed using two unique functional unit approaches. The least impactful package was kraft paper, discovered in a farmer’s market, used by a local grower. Although paper was the most environmentally-friendly package in the collection, 80% of U.S.A flowers are imported as of 2025, and uncoated paper is impractical for overseas distribution. Following uncoated paper, OPP had the next lowest impact, protects flowers overseas, is the least expensive solution, but has an unestablished waste stream. HDPE is more impactful and hazier than OPP, but has an established waste stream. Many retailers have existing HDPE drop-off bins on-premises. Retailers need to identify packaging materials, as 82% of the collection was unlabeled, and encourage return of HDPE cut flower packaging to store. Further development of OPP recycling infrastructure is required to properly dispose of the least expensive and most transparent solution found within the collection. Local growers are well-positioned to offer the most environmentally friendly material identified.