Eco Flower – Eco-Friendly Wedding Bouquets

Meagan was inspired to create her line of wooden flowers while on vacation and later started a mother-daughter company that uses recycled materials like bamboo, book pages, brooches, sola wood, and pine cones to craft gorgeous bouquets and centerpieces with lasting beauty.

Meagan appeared on Shark Tank in 2016 and secured an investment with Daymond John for $400,000 in exchange for 20% of her company. Since then, that company has since closed, but Meagan started another one called Sola Wood Flowers, which she claims is doing very well.

What is Eco Flower?

Eco Flower is a company that designs and manufactures eco-friendly bouquets using recycled wood materials, such as pallets. Each bloom features fragrant essences designed to last forever; various sizes are available online for purchase. Established by Utah native Meagan Bowman in 2013, Eco Flower was initially run at French Kiss Fitness, where Bowman managed staff hiring, scheduling, social media, marketing, and payroll processes, as well as retail recruiting/small business growth with Better City LLC before starting this venture in 2013.

Bowman appeared on Shark Tank to receive an investment offer from Daymond John for $400,000 in exchange for 20% equity in her company. However, she decided against the deal to maintain control of Eco Flower, ultimately closing in January 2017 due to bankruptcy filing.

Bowman responded that her product would succeed by noting its “sexy” aesthetic and impressive “wow factor.” Additionally, she reported having already amassed over $5 million in sales before appearing on Shark Tank; unfortunately, after viewing that episode, she became overwhelmed by orders and customer service issues, which ultimately caused its demise, although Bowman later went on to start Sola Wood Flowers which is still operating today.

What are the Benefits of Eco Flowers?

Eco flowers have an immense environmental impact as they’re constructed out of recyclable and sustainable materials, lasting much longer than regular flowers and thus reducing waste. Plus, eco flowers require much less water and fertilizer than their counterparts, saving valuable resources in the long run.

Meagan Bowman created Eco Flower after seeing a wooden flower while traveling and being inspired to develop something similar. Meagan is no stranger to business; she has run her businesses since she was young – selling baked goods and haunted houses among them! Although rejected multiple times by Shark Tank, she decided to give it one final try after seeing other entrepreneurs achieve their dreams on its show.

The Sharks were intrigued by Bowman’s business idea but weren’t convinced that women would choose her product over real flowers. So they inquired into her sales numbers; Bowman stated they had made $2.8 million in lifetime sales, which shocked and astounded the sharks until she revealed she owned only 25% of the company, while investors owned 75%.

Meagan’s company expanded significantly after her appearance on Shark Tank and continues to make an impactful statement about sustainable living practices and design principles. Recently, she established Sola Wood Flowers, which creates flowers from various materials in sustainable arrangements.

What are the Drawbacks of Eco Flowers?

Flowers can often be shipped over long distances, leaving a high carbon footprint behind. Furthermore, many preservatives used on blooms are harmful to the environment.

Climate also influences flower production; more extraordinary countries require heated greenhouses to cultivate flowers, leading to greater energy use and CO2 emissions. Furthermore, floriculture workers may come into contact with harmful chemicals to which they may expose themselves.

Flowers are thirsty plants, and much of the water they require for growth comes directly from local water sources. According to Green Matters, half of Lake Naivasha in Kenya’s water use goes toward flower farms – leading to decreased fish populations and contamination downstream.

Consumers looking to support sustainable and ethical flower companies have various options. One way is shopping at Whole Foods and selecting products labeled organic or locally grown; other labels you should look out for include Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and certified organic. You could also opt for companies like Bouqs who source flowers directly from farmers using only sustainable growing practices; their delivery services range from same-day local florist delivery, next-day domestic farm shipments, or no-rush deliveries internationally – Bouqs even offers same-day local flower deliveries with same-day florist delivery from local florists or no rush deliveries which ships internationally – providing consumers the ability to purchase what they desire without breaking the bank!

How to Choose Eco Flowers

When selecting their wedding flowers, brides looking to minimize their environmental footprint should choose sustainably grown and organically sourced varieties, farmed without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, which contribute to emissions. Organically sourced blooms tend to last longer in vases than their conventional counterparts, thus reducing wasteful replacement needs and unnecessary expenses.

Selecting in-season flowers is another effective way to ensure your florals are eco-friendly. From vibrant summer weddings, rustic fall celebrations, or winter wonderland nuptials – using local and in-season blooms will drastically reduce carbon emissions from their transport, reports Green Matters. This reduces greenhouse gasses produced from transporting out-of-season flowers.

To reduce your carbon footprint further, opt for fair trade flowers – an option that ensures workers are paid fairly and treated ethically while simultaneously using sustainable growing practices and fewer chemicals in cultivation (The Telegraph).

Bouqs offers domestically-grown and imported flowers, boasting that its blooms are grown “on the side of a volcano in Ecuador or American farms using strict eco-friendly practices” before shipping directly to customers’ doorsteps, bypassing middleman vendors and their waste. Plus, shipping fees are already factored into each bouquet price, so there won’t be additional surprises at checkout!