OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam: Frequently Asked Questions Answered
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Although not a perfect solution, OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam represents an important step forward for florists seeking more sustainable design solutions. By replacing petroleum-based ingredients with renewable plant-based materials, it significantly reduces carbon emissions while maintaining the performance required for professional floral work.
Testing around biodegradability and composability is not conclusive but is still ongoing. Renewal™ Floral Foam offers a practical option for florists looking to balance sustainability goals with the everyday demands of floral design.
What Is OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam?
OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam is a plant-based floral foam designed for fresh flower arrangements. Unlike traditional floral foam, which is made using petroleum-based materials, Renewal™ Floral Foam is produced from renewable, bio-based resources.
The result is a professional floral mechanic that performs similarly to conventional floral foam while offering a significantly lower environmental impact.
How Is It Different From Traditional Floral Foam?
The main difference lies in the raw materials used during manufacturing.
Traditional floral foam relies on petroleum-derived ingredients, whereas OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam is made from renewable plant-based sources. Approximately 83% of the ingredients come from biobased materials. The nature of the other 17% of ingredients are not specified by the manufacturer. As stated by OASIS, these materials have no current biobased substitutes, yet they are essential to the feel and performance of the overall product.
The majority renewable plant-based source ingredients allows the product to achieve a substantially lower carbon footprint while maintaining the functionality florists rely on for everyday floral design.
Studies conducted by nova-Institut indicate that Renewal™ Floral Foam has a 56% lower carbon footprint compared to petroleum-based floral foam. nova-Institut are an independent third-party organization who reviewed all steps and materials to complete the carbon footprint analyses for OASIS® Renewal® Floral Foam and petroleum-based OASIS® Floral Foams.
Does OASIS® Renewal® Floral Foam contain formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is not an ingredient in OASIS® Renewal® Floral Foam. This product was developed to offer an alternative to petroleum-based floral foams, as as such, does not contain formaldehyde.
However, while majority plant-based, this product does contain plastics, which are fossil fuel or petroleum based.
What does plant-based mean?
Plant-based means that primary components of this product are derived from renewable plant materials. OASIS confirm that they are not using plant materials resulting from deforestation or clear-cutting of wild lands.
Third-party certification of all raw ingredients and claims by OASIS has been given by TÜV Austria, an independent Austrian service provider in the fields of testing, inspection, certification for integrated safety, quality, environmental and technical resource management.
Does It Perform Like Regular Floral Foam?
Yes.
OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam has been designed to provide the same professional performance florists expect when creating fresh flower arrangements. It offers:
- Excellent water uptake and retention
- Secure stem support
- Suitable density for a wide range of stem types
- Easy cutting and shaping
- Compatibility with both everyday and large-scale event work
The foam is suitable for soft stems, woody stems, and thicker structural materials, making it versatile enough for most floral applications.
Do I need to worry about mould?
Due to the plant-based content, this range is more likely to develop mold over time. To mitigate mold growth, OASIS recommends good hygiene practices around tools and materials, as well as use of FloraLife® Flower Food in your water while saturating the foam.
How do I soak and store OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam?
OASIS® Renewal® Floral Foam saturates like traditional OASIS® Floral Foam. Fill a large basin with clean water. Place the foam on the water’s surface and let it saturate naturally, not forcing the foam under the water. The fully saturated foam will be visibly wet throughout. The average saturation time for a single brick 45 seconds - 2 minutes.
Traditional storage conditions are adequate for storage of this product. That is, store floral foam in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Can Stems Be Inserted at Different Angles?
Absolutely.
One of the key concerns many florists have when trying a new floral mechanic is stem placement. OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam is designed to hold stems securely, allowing designers to insert materials at multiple angles just as they would with traditional floral foam.
This makes it suitable for everything from everyday bouquets and centrepieces through to more complex event and wedding designs.
What Colour Is OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam?
Unlike traditional green floral foam, Renewal™ Floral Foam has a naturally dark appearance. It is free from dyes and colorants.
When wet, it develops a rich black colour that visually fades within arrangements. This can reduce the amount of foliage and flowers required to conceal the mechanics, helping designers achieve fuller-looking arrangements more efficiently.
The darker colour can also be incorporated as part of contemporary floral designs where visible mechanics form part of the aesthetic.
Is OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam Biodegradable?
At present, OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam is not certified as biodegradable.
At the time of writing, the manufacturer is continuing to conduct independent testing and certification processes regarding biodegradability and compostability. Until official certifications are obtained, no biodegradable claims are being made.
This distinction is important, as plant-based materials and biodegradable materials are not necessarily the same thing.
Is It Compostable?
Currently, OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam is not certified as compostable.
Testing is ongoing to better understand how the product behaves at the end of its life cycle. While some components are derived from renewable organic sources, official compostability claims require extensive third-party testing and certification.
For now, users should follow the manufacturer's disposal recommendations.
How Should It Be Disposed Of?
The current recommendation is to dispose of used OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam in general waste.
The manufacturer advises this approach while ongoing biodegradability and compostability testing continues. In locations where waste is processed through energy recovery facilities, the product's overall carbon impact may be further reduced.
Who Is OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam Suitable For?
OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam is suitable for:
- Professional florists
- Wedding florists
- Event stylists
- Corporate event designers
- Funeral florists
- Retail flower shops
- Floral educators and students
Because it handles similarly to traditional floral foam, it can be integrated into existing workflows without requiring significant changes to design techniques.
OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam represents an important step forward for florists seeking more sustainable design solutions. By replacing petroleum-based ingredients with renewable plant-based materials, it significantly reduces carbon emissions while maintaining the performance required for professional floral work.
Although testing around biodegradability and compostability is still ongoing, Renewal™ Floral Foam offers a practical option for florists looking to balance sustainability goals with the everyday demands of floral design.
As the floral industry continues to evolve, products such as OASIS® Renewal™ Floral Foam demonstrate how innovation can help reduce environmental impact without sacrificing creativity, efficiency, or design quality. For more information about this product, see the OASIS FAQ page.