EPR for Florists and Nurseries: Packaging Compliance Guide

Table of Contents

• How EPR Applies to Florists and Nurseries
• Obligation Thresholds
• Florist and Nursery Packaging Types
• Are Plant Pots Packaging?
• EPR Fee Estimates
• Data Collection
• Reducing EPR Costs
• Key Takeaways

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Key Takeaways

• Florists and nurseries with £1M+ turnover and 25+ tonnes of packaging are obligated under packaging EPR.
• Cellophane, tissue paper, and wrapping materials provided to customers are service packaging and count towards your obligation.
• Plant pots supplied with plants are generally classified as packaging under EPR rules — this significantly increases nursery tonnage.
• Most single-site independent florists will not reach the thresholds, but nursery chains and wholesale florists may.
• Switching from cellophane to kraft paper wrapping reduces both material costs and EPR fees.

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How EPR Applies to Florists and Nurseries

Florists and plant nurseries use a surprising amount of packaging. From the cellophane wrapping on a bouquet to the plastic pots housing every plant, the sector’s packaging footprint is larger than many businesses realise.

Under UK packaging EPR, businesses that meet the obligation thresholds must register, report, and pay fees for the packaging they place on the market. For florists, the key consideration is service packaging — wrapping and bags supplied to customers. For nurseries, the major factor is plant pots.

For EPR fundamentals, read what packaging EPR is.

Obligation Thresholds

• Annual turnover of £1 million or more
• Handle 25 or more tonnes of packaging per year

Single-site florists: Most independent florists with one shop will not reach £1M turnover or 25 tonnes, making them exempt.

Florist chains and online florists: A multi-site operation or high-volume online florist delivery service can easily exceed both thresholds.

Wholesale nurseries: A nursery growing and selling plants in plastic pots will generate substantial packaging tonnage from pots alone. A nursery producing 500,000 plants in pots averaging 20g each generates 10 tonnes from pots alone — add larger pots, trays, labels, and transit packaging and the threshold is reached.

See who needs to register for full details.

Florist and Nursery Packaging Types

Florist Service Packaging

• Cellophane/BOPP film — wrapping bouquets
• Tissue paper — wrapping flowers and plants
• Paper wrapping — kraft paper for bouquets
• Carrier bags — paper or plastic bags
• Ribbon and raffia — decorative ties
• Gift cards and envelopes — supplied with arrangements
• Flower food sachets — small plastic or foil packets
• Water tubes — plastic tubes on individual stems
• Delivery boxes — corrugated boxes for bouquet delivery

Nursery Packaging

• Plastic plant pots — polypropylene or polystyrene, many sizes
• Cell trays and plug trays — plastic seed and plug trays
• Plant labels — plastic or paper stakes and tags
• Pot covers — decorative outer pots (ceramic, plastic, paper)
• Plant sleeves — plastic or paper sleeves around plants
• Root ball wrapping — hessian, wire baskets, or plastic

Transit Packaging

• Cardboard boxes — for mail-order plants and flowers
• Protective sleeves — cardboard tubes for tall plants
• Stretch wrap — pallet wrap
• Danish trolleys — typically returnable (see note below)

Danish trolleys note: The metal Danish trolleys used throughout the floriculture supply chain are usually part of a managed return pool and are NOT classified as packaging if they are genuinely returned and reused.

Are Plant Pots Packaging?

This is the critical question for nurseries. The general EPR guidance is:

• Pots supplied with a plant = packaging (the pot facilitates the sale and transport of the plant)
• Empty pots sold as products = not packaging (the pot IS the product)
• Decorative cachepots sold separately = not packaging

If you are a nursery growing plants in pots and selling them to garden centres, retailers, or consumers, those growing pots are classified as primary packaging.

This has a significant impact on nursery EPR tonnage. Larger pots (3L, 5L, 10L) can weigh 50-150g each, generating substantial tonnage across production volumes.

For further classification guidance, see what counts as packaging for EPR.

EPR Fee Estimates

Material	Fee per tonne (approx.)	Florist/Nursery Use
Plastic (PP pots)	£360	Plant pots, trays
Plastic film (BOPP)	£360	Cellophane wrapping
Paper	£215	Tissue, kraft paper
Corrugated card	£215	Delivery boxes
Multi-material	£461	Laminated wrapping

A wholesale nursery handling 100 tonnes of plastic pots and trays would face EPR fees of approximately £36,000 from pots alone.

See the EPR fees by material type guide.

Data Collection

For Florists

1. Track packaging purchases from your supplier — cellophane rolls, tissue paper, bags, ribbon
2. Weigh sample items — one sheet of tissue, one bag, one metre of cellophane
3. Use purchase quantities to calculate annual usage
4. Include delivery packaging for online orders — boxes, void fill, water sources

For Nurseries

1. Count pots by size — use production records or pot purchase data
2. Weigh empty pots by size category (9cm, 1L, 2L, 3L, etc.)
3. Include cell trays, labels, and sleeves
4. Add transit packaging — boxes, pallet wrap, Danish trolley liners
5. Allocate nation data using customer delivery records

For methodology, see how to weigh packaging for EPR.

Reducing EPR Costs

1. Switch from Cellophane to Kraft Paper

Kraft paper wrapping attracts a lower EPR fee (£215/tonne vs £360/tonne for plastic film) and is increasingly popular with consumers seeking eco-friendly options.

2. Transition to Taupe or Coloured Recyclable Pots

Black plastic pots cannot be detected by recycling sorting equipment. The industry is moving to taupe or coloured polypropylene pots that are recyclable and may attract lower modulated fees.

3. Reduce Pot Weight

Lightweight pot designs are available that use 15-20% less plastic. For nurseries producing millions of pots, this creates meaningful EPR savings.

4. Offer Pot Returns

Some nurseries and garden centres offer pot return schemes. While this does not eliminate the EPR obligation (the pots were placed on the market), it demonstrates environmental responsibility.

5. Minimise Wrapping

For in-store customers, offer the option of no wrapping for single-stem purchases or small plants. Not every item needs packaging.

Online Florist Delivery

Online florist delivery services use significant packaging:

• Corrugated delivery boxes — often specially designed for flowers
• Water sources — small water tubes or foam
• Protective wrapping — tissue, cellophane
• Void fill — to prevent movement in transit

Optimise box sizes for different bouquet types and minimise unnecessary padding. See packaging EPR for online sellers.

Getting Started

1. Check your obligation against the EPR checklist
2. Audit your packaging — pots, wrapping, bags, delivery materials
3. Register with a compliance scheme if obligated
4. Submit data to DEFRA
5. Explore material alternatives

Use the EPR fee calculator and visit our pricing page.