One of the prevailing myths around artificial plants is that they are not environmentally friendly. On the surface, this may appear to be true. But when you take a closer look, you’ll realise the answer is a lot more complex than you might think.
The truth is that there are a lot of positives to plastic faux plants. In some ways, they can be surprisingly more eco-friendly than their real counterparts. It definitely depends on a variety of different factors, but if you are striving to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle, don’t reject the idea of fake plants right off the bat!
If you’re all about making an informed choice about your choice of houseplants, keep scrolling to learn more about how artificial plants can be an environmentally friendly option for you.
Not All Plastic Is Bad
We’re conditioned to hear the word “plastic” and immediately think “bad”. But in the last couple of decades, there has been a lot of research and development in the sustainability sector to make plastic production a lot more eco-friendly.
It’s important to remember that there’s more to plastic than the single-use plastics that have become a major problem in our landfills and waterways. Plastic is used throughout the world in health, hygiene, and food preservation. It’s vital to the modern human’s way of life, so it’s important that we consider how we can use plastics in a way that’s better for the environment too.
Renowned sustainable plastic researcher Dr. John Williams points out that plastics are a part of modern life that cannot be avoided, but needs to be adapted to be more sustainable and less destructive to the planet.
In 2019, a report called Science To Enable Sustainable Plastics was published by the Royal Society of Chemistry in London identified the key elements to sustainable plastic technology. This includes understanding the impact of plastics throughout their life cycles and developing plastic technologies that allow for closed loop recycling.
Designer Plants has been committed to creating eco faux plants from the very start. Sustainability and earth-friendliness is part of our DNA! All our plants are non-toxic, with a conscious production system and a focus on high-quality polymers to create artificial plants that look good while doing good too.
Toxins And Greenhouse Emissions
It may be surprising but artificial plants do not have as large a carbon footprint as you might assume. As a matter of fact, research has shown that artificial vertical gardens emit only 20% of the overall emissions for a living vertical garden.
How is this possible? Well, the key difference between the two is that artificial plants do not require the ongoing maintenance that their real counterparts do. Watering, fertilising, soil replacement, and plant replacement – all these activities bring with them additional carbon emissions. And fortunately, artificial plants don’t require any of them!
Artificial plants and vertical gardens essentially only emit carbon emissions during manufacturing, transportation, and setup. So it’s important to remember that it’s a one-off economical and ecological cost.
In addition to that, Designer Plants faux plants and green walls are formulated with non-toxic plastics, making it safe for use around humans and animals. As a matter of fact, our plants are ROHS compliant which means they do not contain harmful chemicals such as lead, mercury, boric acid, heavy metals, cadmium, PBBs and PBDEs.
Another nifty feature of our environmentally-friendly faux plants is this: You can easily move them around to fit your changing needs. There’s no need to keep buying new plants to suit certain areas in a new home or space! These artificial plants will survive in any space, regardless of the level of light or humidity (unlike their more finicky real counterparts!).
Recyclable Materials
The key to sustainability is thinking about end of life strategies for everything we consume. Put simply, this means figuring out what to do when our things can no longer be used as intended.
While Designer Plants products are designed to last many years both indoors and outdoors, we have already thought of the end-of-life requirements of the artificial green walls we create.
We are proud to say that we are the first artificial plant manufacturers to have our own recycling program. If ever a customer needs to dispose of their Designer Plants artificial green wall, they can do so in-person in Moorabbin, Victoria or by sending it to the Designer Plants Recycling program via the post.
From there, your 100% recyclable artificial green wall will go to a good home or be used to create other goods.
We’ve also launched a line of pots and planters that are made of recycled materials, an exciting addition to our range of artificial plants and trees! They make the perfect eco-friendly accessory for any of our artificial plants.
Discover Environmentally Friendly Artificial Plants
Designer Plants offer a range of high-quality, durable, and eco-friendly artificial plants to suit any budget. We’re proud to offer eco-friendly artificial plants to suit any space!
Whether you’re looking for a small artificial plant to, or you’re planning to make a bigger statement with an artificial green wall, we’ve got the perfect options for you.
Discover more about our range of artificial plants or get in touch with one of our Designer Plants experts to find an Earth-friendly artificial plant to suit your needs.
