Our People, Our Planet
A Responsible Business Strategy
Our story
I’m pleased to introduce our Responsible Business Strategy (RBS), the central goal of which ensures arena.online continues to lead by example within our industry. This strategy builds on our commitment to fairness, good practice, and driving meaningful change to deliver a measurable impact.
Our approach focuses on science-based actions because we know real responsibility is about delivering results, not just making promises. Through the rigorous processes we followed in scoping and building this strategy we’ve challenged ourselves to rethink each of our commitments, guided by the belief that adapting and improving is the truly responsible thing to do.
Developing the RBS has required rigour and collaboration and the document you read has been enriched by contribution from many voices— colleagues, suppliers, industry bodies, customers, and local champions. A particularly inspiring part of the process was hearing from local schoolchildren, whose perspectives challenge us to think about the long-term impact of our actions.
I see the values outlined in the RBS as fundamental to how we work at Arena. They are at the heart of what makes us a trusted partner and a responsible business: fundamental to how we operate and grow. My commitment is to ensure these principles guide our actions as we deliver positive outcomes for our customers, communities, and the planet.
I’m grateful to every contributor who helped shape it, every colleague who helps deliver it and every stakeholder and customer who supports it because, ultimately, this is a matter of choice. Thank you.
John Hackett CEO, Arena Online
Founded in London
Recognised as the UK’s most ethical florist by the Good Shopping Guide
Passes £10m annual turnover for the first time
Removes all fossil-based single-use plastic from packaging
Achieves Butterfly Mark Certification, recognising ethical practices and responsible innovation
Scores first 100/100 score on the Ethical Company Index, and establishes HQ in Droitwich Spa
Introduces the Real Living Wage
Founded in London as the first online plant brand
Raises £2m in crowdfunding Launches nationwide delivery along with an in-house range of pots and plant tools
Launches FlowerPaper from grower offcuts
Wins a silver-gilt medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for ‘Pharmacy of Houseplants’
Named Best Plant Delivery Service for the first time by Good Housekeeping Institute
arena.online is established, and Patch Plants becomes a part of the Arena family
arena.online is certified as a Real Living Hours employer
We publish our Responsible Business Strategy, aligning the goals of Arena Flowers and Patch Plants
Certifications that we’re proud of
We pay our employees a Real Living Wage that meets everyday needs
We are committed to providing workspaces for everyone
We provide employees with fair and predictable working hours
Patch Plants has been awarded Best Plant
Delivery Service in 2022, 2023 and 2024
Arena Flowers is one of only two specialist UK florists to be registered with Fairtrade
Arena Flowers is scored independently on sustainability by Positive Luxury
Arena Flowers is scored independently on ethics
Our sustainability journey so far…
100%
Recyclable packaging
Everything received by Patch Plants and Arena Flowers customers can be reused, recycled or composted at home.
We pay the
Fairtrade Premium
Every time Arena Flowers buys stems from our certified growers, regardless of whether the bouquet is then marketed as Fairtrade, going above and beyond.
Reduced
Our carbon emissions
By relocating our warehouse and partnering with DPD to offer carbon neutral delivery.
We pay the
Real Living Wage
Whether employed directly by us or through third parties who work on-site, everyone who works for arena.online is given a fair wage that reflects the cost of living.
Zero
Fossil-based single-use plastic
Removed from all Arena Flowers packaging in 2017.
17
Tonnes of grower stem waste reused
To make our FlowerPaper, the paper wrap that protects Arena Flowers’ bouquets.
3,600
Last year’s highlights
5
Beehives introduced
To support with local pollination and biodiversity at our Droitwich fulfilment centre. We trained two of our employees to become beekeepers.
All externally facing videos have subtitles
Every video shared on our social media channels is inclusive of our hard-of-hearing customers.
Responsible Business Strategy
Waste roses transformed into bath salts
Since May 2023, UpCircle Beauty has used our waste petals to create calming bath salts.
365
Our first 365 days powered by certified renewables
We purchased certified renewable energy with a REGO accreditation.
780
Plants
rescued by our customers
In October 2023 we launched our Plant Recovery range, enabling our green thumbed customers to revive our imperfect plants that would otherwise go to waste.
900
Plants and pots donated
In support of local causes, helping children in care and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) schools.
132,000+
Trees planted
for each bouquet purchased by Arena Flowers customers, we plant two trees.
13
Employee interviews inspiring young people
We partnered with Inspiring Worcestershire to showcase the careers available in our industry.
We launched a nursery salary sacrifice scheme
To lend our employees a helping hand.
We planted wildflowers at our Droitwich HQ
Around our HQ we planted a drift of wildflowers to help provide food for our resident bees and other pollinators.
Strategy
Our strategy
Our People, Our Planet is our responsible business strategy. It’s been created in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, to ensure we’re contributing meaningfully to critical social, environmental and economic challenges.
Our mission is to make the world a greener – not greyer – place. That’s not just about celebrating the beauty of plants and flowers, but helping to protect our planet and our people through responsible business practices.
This strategy was shaped collaboratively with our community. It was developed by our steering group, made up of 14 employee representatives from across the business, and informed by data gathered using employee surveys and community consultations, helping us identify where we can become a more responsible business.
We also received valuable contributions from local partners, including our District Council, labour agencies and students Lily and Leo, who represented the voice of future generations. The strategy was then refined by our Executive Team to ensure it aligns with our broader business priorities.
Our People, Our Planet outlines our plans to play an active role in creating a more sustainable future. It’s a strategy we’ll continue to evolve and strengthen as we learn and grow.
Our strategy framework
Our framework serves as a blueprint for how we will achieve our goals. This is organised into four pillars, each with its own mission statement.
Each pillar has a series of sub-pillars, which focus on our mid-term and long-term targets. Our midterm targets are for FY28* and will help to keep us accountable for our long-term targets, which are for FY31**. We have identified actions that will help us meet our targets, and each year we will focus on completing at least two of these actions. Actions across each of these will help us to increasingly be a more responsible choice for customers.
* Financial year running May 2027 to April 2028
** Financial year running May 2030 to April 2031
Environment
To minimise our impact on the planet while taking steps to conserve its natural resources.
Team
To build a safe and inclusive environment where individuals are empowered to thrive within a supportive team.
Community
To support our local and worldwide communities in creating a lasting positive impact.
Suppliers
To hold our suppliers and partners to the highest standards and lead change within our industries.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
We recognise that our industry impacts multiple global issues addressed through the United Nations’ 17 linked Sustainable Development Goals, and so we have aligned our responsible business framework accordingly. Each of the UN goal icons can be seen beneath our pillars, showcasing how our targets align.
Environment
Environment
Nature is at the heart of our business. From what we grow to how we grow it, we’re deeply connected to the environment. Weather, water and pollination directly influence our supply chain, and we recognise that our industry also impacts these vital resources. It’s crucial that we minimise our mark on the planet while taking steps to conserve it.
The detail
Such a big area deserves the right focus. Our mid-term targets focus on the areas we can directly influence, allowing us to take meaningful action now while building towards bigger change. We’re actively progressing the details of our long-term targets to reflect the full impact of our business across our value chain. This includes calculating science-based targets. Once defined, we’ll update our Climate Change long-term goal with a clear emissions reduction percentage and share our climate action plan. We’re also advancing work to map our global water and biodiversity footprint, which will inform meaningful long-term targets aimed at reducing our impact in these areas.
Mid Term Target
By our FY28 ending in April 2028
Long Term Target
By our FY31 ending in April 2031
Near-term science based emissions reduction aligned to 1.5°C
30% reduction in product waste per no. products delivered
This year’s focus
Installing 100% intelligent LED lighting at our fulfilment centre to reduce our electricity consumption.
Set science-based emissions targets.
To be confirmed once we’ve calculated our current impact
Identify our biodiversity footprint
To be confirmed once we’ve calculated our current impact
Spotlight on: FlowerPaper
Arena Flowers is the world’s first online flower company to implement a closed-loop waste system. Having helped pioneer the innovative FlowerPaper that we wrap around our bouquets.
Through partnering with Groot Packaging and a small paper mill in the Netherlands we created a new material made using the green waste from flower stems produced by our growers.
We delivered our first batch of FlowerPaper to our customers in June 2020, and we’ve since saved 17 tonnes of flower waste. The Groot Packaging team have been working hard to develop and improve this innovative material ever since its conception, and we’re delighted to share their progress.
Officially FSC CoC certified FlowerPaper received FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) certification in 2023, recognising that it meets the highest environmental and social standards, while ensuring transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain.
60% post-consumer recycled paper
FlowerPaper is made using a mix of green waste and cellulose from trees. Since 2023, 60% of this cellulose is sourced from post-consumer recycled paper (the other 40% is from virgin tree cellulose). These recycled fibres are separated by a factory that is 2km away from the paper mill, reducing the reliance on new resources and minimising the carbon footprint by 45% in the process.
Local sourcing
FlowerPaper prioritises local sourcing. This includes using a paper mill that’s based near the growers to minimise transport, as well as sourcing virgin cellulose from the closest responsibly managed forest to the mill, which is in the Belgium Ardenne region.
Team
Team
People are at the heart of our business, and we want to make time at work as rewarding as possible for our employees. We’re dedicated to building a safe and inclusive environment, where individuals are empowered to thrive within a supportive team.
The detail
Our strategy is designed by our people, for our people, and so we want our employees to contribute directly to the targets that impact them. For our mid–term targets, we will be measuring success through continuing to ask our team to share their experiences through employee engagement surveys. These include the employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) and a wellbeing theme that covers workload and manager relationships.
For our long-term targets, we’ve chosen to focus on more concrete behaviours and outcomes. While we’re still collecting voluntary data, our goal is to ensure attrition rates are no higher for underrepresented groups than the overall rate.
Mid Term Target
By our FY28 ending in April 2028
Long Term Target
By our FY31 ending in April 2031
eNPS score of 65
90% positive sentiment to “People from all demographic backgrounds have an equal opportunity to succeed at this company”
This year’s focus
We recognise the quality of our managers is foundational to driving improvements across all of our Team goals, so we’ve chosen to make this our focus for the year ahead.
We will be introducing training budgets and rolling out comprehensive manager training pathways.
90% positive sentiment in “I can see myself growing and developing my career in this company”
20% employee attrition improvement
20% employee attrition improvement for under-represented groups
90% positive sentiment on employee engagement survey Wellbeing theme
20% internal recruitment rate improvement
20% reduction in employee absence rate
Spotlight on: Real Living Wage
Since 2020, we’ve been a certified Real Living Wage employer, offering our team a fair wage that reflects the cost of living. This accreditation is supplied by the Living Wage Foundation and recognises our voluntary decision to pay our employees a wage that meets everyday needs.
Here,
a few of our team members share the positive impact receiving the Real Living Wage has had.
“The Real Living Wage has helped me make savings, and I never go into my overdraft anymore. I’m also able to support my parents with a small amount too, which is great for me.”
- Amal, Assistant Team Leader
“I get to earn a good living to provide for me and my family, and don’t need to worry about paying my bills at the end of the month.” - Michelle, Florist
Going beyond
In addition to offering the standard Real Living Wage to our in-house team, we extend the rate to our thirdparty agency staff, who help us with our increased labour requirements at our Droitwich fulfilment centre during Peak.
We also extend the Real Living Wage to the thirdparty cleaning staff, who are employed at our Droitwich HQ.
“I’m able to manage the cost of living better for me and my family.” - Florin, Skilled Operator
The Real Living Wage hourly rate is updated annually in April. We receive the new rate in October ahead of time, and each year so far we’ve updated the wage immediately, so that our employees can benefit as soon as possible.
Community
The detail
Community
Creating meaningful connections goes beyond the act of giving flowers and plants. We interact with communities across the globe, and we want to ensure we have a lasting, positive impact on the people within them.
* Profit defined as EBIT
** Community impact hours includes employee volunteering, voluntary charity or local community workshops and our beekeepers time
Our Community targets focus on supporting our local and global communities, while continuing to grow our charitable efforts. For FY28, we aim to enhance our connections with local communities through philanthropic initiatives, and to identify the most effective ways to support our international communities. Currently we pay the Fairtrade Premium for all Arena Flowers’ stems sourced from certified growers, even when we don’t market the bouquet as fairtrade, allowing our committed growers to reinvest in their local development. We will be seeking further opportunities to create similar positive impacts within our global supply chain.
This year’s focus
Launching volunteering days, with an FY28 target of 30% employee volunteering participation rate, which is significantly higher than the UK average of below 10%. This will contribute to our long-term target of 2,500 hours of community impact.
Identifying community partners to whom we can donate waste stock, expanding upon our current plant donation scheme to include flowers and pots.
Mid Term Target
By our FY28 ending in April 2028
Long Term Target
By our FY31 ending in April 2031
70% of waste stock donated
1% of profit donated*
30% employee volunteering participation rate
Identify impact opportunities in the international communities we touch
2,500 hours community impact**
To be confirmed once we have identified impact opportunities
Spotlight on: Green Fingers
The Green Fingers Project, part of Worcestershire County Council’s Children’s Services, is a project close to our hearts. Based in Worcestershire, near our Droitwich HQ, it offers help and support to Looked After and Adopted young people, and their carers. The team provide activities designed to support the children’s emotional and psychological wellbeing, with a focus on healthy living, horticulture and arts.
“Arena.online
kindly donated lots of plants to the project. This has enabled us to do more planting activities with the young people on site, and to generate some much needed funds by selling some of the left over plants”
Joanne Frost, Community & Leisure Development Worker Worcestershire Children First
We began partnering with Green Fingers in 2023, and are delighted to have donated over 150 of our waste plants to the charity so far. The donation has provided them with tools for horticultural activities, an opportunity for young people to learn about indoor plants and how to care for them, as well as a chance to raise funds for the project.
“Arena.online kindly donated lots of plants to the project. This has enabled us to do more planting activities with the young people on site, and to generate some much needed funds by selling some of the left over plants,” says Joanne Frost, Community & Leisure Development Worker for Looked After Children at Worcestershire County Council. “This enabled us to buy more seeds, compost and tools for the garden which has
benefitted the project by allowing us to grow more fruit and vegetables on site. The young people have had the opportunity to learn about different types of indoor plants that we otherwise would not have been able to grow.”
We’re so pleased to have been able to support Green Fingers’ important work through our donation, avoiding unnecessary waste of our imperfect stock and spreading the joy of nature to our local community in the process. You can find out more about Green Fingers at greenfingersproject.com.
Suppliers
Suppliers
We’re proud to work with so many brilliant suppliers, who help to grow, transport and deliver our flowers and plants. Our team extends to all of the people in our supply chain, and we’re committed to ensuring everyone works in safe, healthy and fair conditions. That’s why we’re holding our suppliers and partners to the highest standards.
* Significant suppliers are those who supply products or services to us collectively representing 80% of our purchases in currency terms (excluding payroll, rent, utilities, and taxes).
The detail
We’re committed to driving positive change across our industry and supporting our suppliers to be the best they can be. That’s why we’ve introduced a new Supplier Governance Strategy, which groups suppliers based on their risk level and sustainability maturity. Through regular audits and training, we’ll help them take meaningful steps forward.
Some of our targets are currently based on benchmarking suppliers against this new framework, which we’re actively focusing on. As this work progresses, we’ll be able to refine these goals and introduce clearer, metric-based targets that reflect real improvements over time.
Mid Term Target
By our FY28 ending in April 2028
Long Term Target
By our FY31 ending in April 2031
Majority of Significant ‘Opportunity for Improvement’ (OFI) suppliers audited in-person*
Majority of Significant suppliers to be ‘Better Businesses’
Capture 100% of Significant supplier satisfaction sentiment
95% of Significant suppliers to hold and share sustainability related data
This year’s focus
Launch a new supplier self-assessment questionnaire.
Train our supply chain team in human rights.
Introduce worker wellbeing audits to our Significant OFI suppliers
Majority of Significant supplier compliance to our Better Business Standards
Spotlight on: OVATA
OVATA is a greenhouse and succulent specialist based in the Netherlands, and has been a supplier of Patch since 2019.
By setting ambitious targets and experimenting with innovative, data-led growing methods, the company has made great gains in its sustainability journey, creating a positive impact and setting new standards in the industry. Here are a few highlights from OVATA’s sustainability journey so far.
100% peat-free
At the end of 2024, OVATA reached its goal of becoming 100% peat-free following a six-year journey to produce its SuPure® succulents with a peat-free soil mixture. Over the course of this time, OVATA reduced its peat by 5% each year, adjusted its soil mixture 32 times, and undertook more than 500 plant and soil analyses to better understand and monitor the cultivation process.
100% recycled water
Taking inspiration from the Japanese koi carp industry as well as sewage treatment methods, OVATA has established an innovative water system that allows 100% of the greenhouse’s water to be recycled. Using a simulated waterfall that cleans the water using naturally occurring lava bacteria, OVATA is able to recycle its water without the use of harmful chemicals. It’s even safe enough to drink.
Data-driven cultivation methods
Via a dedicated climate computer, as well as sensors and monitors, OVATA’s growers are able to monitor the conditions of its greenhouses and optimise them to create the perfect growing conditions for their succulents. This enables them to seek the most efficient ways to use water, energy and plant protection agencies, minimising waste and reducing energy consumption in the process.
Appendix
Bringing ‘Our Planet, Our People’ to life
Our strategy is insight driven, with input from our internal and external stakeholders to ensure it meets the needs of our employers, suppliers and local and international communities.
100%
of employees had the opportunity to input further through 14 Responsible Business Strategy representatives, who came together as our steering group for 8 meetings and were engaged in a ‘first look’ at the strategy.
Suppliers were invited to provide feedback via a self-assessment questionnaire focused on how we could improve collaboration. 60% of employees responded to our dedicated sustainability employment engagement survey.
Our strategy sub-pillars were developed by integrating elements of our existing HR strategy, employee engagement survey results, supplier questionnaires, community feedback, using insights from initiatives discussed in our steering group meetings, and further understanding our material impacts.
The strategy had significant input from arena.online’s CEO and COO.
A consultation was conducted in Worcestershire to engage with and gather insights from our local community.
68
total external stakeholders were engaged.
Our Supplier Governance Strategy
To support the launch of Our People, Our Planet, we created a programme to help our suppliers become the best in the business and in turn set new standards in the industry. We’ve created a new supplier category system based on the insights gathered. All of our existing and future suppliers will be benchmarked against this system, allowing us to collaborate and seek opportunities for improvement.
Better Business (BB)
Better Business suppliers comply with all of arena.online’s Minimum Compliance Standards and meet a number of arena.online’s Better Business Standards. They have successfully integrated sustainability into their business, demonstrating significant improvements in their impact on their teams, the environment and the broader community. They require little to no support from arena.online.
Striving for Better (SfB)
Striving for Better suppliers comply with arena.online’s Minimum Compliance Standards, but do not meet arena.online’s Better Business Standards. These suppliers are in the process of improving their impact on their team, the environment and the broader community. They require limited to moderate support from arena.online to assist them on this journey.
Opportunity for Improvement (OFI) – Low Risk
Opportunity for Improvement suppliers indicate near or full compliance with arena.online’s Minimum Compliance Standards. Arena.online will continue to work with and support these suppliers while they take the necessary steps to meet the minimum standards. OFI suppliers have no plans to improve their impact on their workers, environment and community. They require considerable support from arena.online.
Opportunity for Improvement (OFI) – High Risk
Suppliers who are found to be in violation of compliance with arena.online’s Minimum Compliance Standards are classified as Material OFI suppliers. This may also identify facilities whose third-party programme certification has been revoked or terminated by a third-party audit programme. These violations may make it appropriate to temporarily or permanently terminate the facility’s ability to supply to Arena Online Ltd. Material OFI suppliers require significant intervention from arena.online.
Thank you
Thank you for taking the time to read our responsible business strategy. We will continue to share our progress annually, using these reports to update you. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.