plants@work Association decided to respond to the article published in a blog in which interior landscaping has been unjustifiably dismissed.
30 January 2023

 

Dear Sir

We were shocked to read an article in a recent publication, based on a blog by Banner UK, this headline: ‘Plants are out! Offices Turn Towards Air Purifiers in the Fight for Air Quality’ introducing an article to that effect promoting their air purifying unit. (Since reading our letter, the publication has removed the article from their site).

 

Whilst we always advocate that all the office suppliers should cooperate and that we see benefits for the use of air purifying systems in offices, we would wish that plant benefits would not have been dismissed so lightly.

 

We would also like to note that the interior landscaping industry and plants@work as the industry trade association has never advocated getting rid of any mechanical air purifying systems from offices and it saddens us that Banner UK have chosen to go down this route.

 

We know that the original claims about plants cleaning the air were made with the use of many plants, more than most offices could reasonably accommodate. More recent research has been more realistic. Generally, it is acknowledged that some plants work better than others i.e. those that like the conditions that the building offers.

 

It is also acknowledged that green walls which usually contain a greater volume of plants than other office displays, can be more successful at cleaning the air.

 

So we would like to advise all employers that they should not remove plants from their offices, especially because plants also make many contributions to the working environment, not just air quality.

 

We acknowledge the quote by Mr. Jason Thomas, Strategic Sales Manager at BannerUK “Plants obviously provide a host of benefits in any space, but their ability to improve air quality is often over-estimated, and now that offices are back to full capacity, they’re simply not doing the job. This might be why interest has dropped off”, but we could not possibly agree with its conclusion.

 

Plants clean the indoor air to some extent as research for Living Wall IAQ Effectivity - by Gensler Research, Design for Polluted and Toxic Environments showed and we strongly stand by our claim made before, that indoor plants bring many benefits to office staff, therefore all the claims by sales staff at Banner are too simplistic.

 

The article says, ‘Searches for “indoor plants” have similarly declined since the end of lockdown, whilst searches for “air quality” and “office air” have been consistent throughout 2022.’

 

Of course, checking and quoting ‘searches for indoor plants’ having declined since the end of lockdown is misleading. During lockdown many workers had to work from home so our surmise would be that these searches probably went up during that time because people working from home were possibly introducing plants to their home work areas. Since the return to work, obviously the emphasis has changed.

 

We would also like to correct and expand the meaning of Biophilia which Mr. Thomas of Banner UK explains in this article means ‘the love of plants’. Biophilia or biophilic design is the concept of linking us and buildings more closely to nature by using natural elements i.e. in lighting and ventilation, natural landscape features including plants and natural materials wherever possible. So much more than ‘the love of plants’! 

 

Choosing plants that work for the conditions of your office mean you will get the best out of them.

 

“The key is to match the plants well to their environment. The more closely matched they are, the more physiologically active they will be, and that is when the effects will be greatest.

 

“When you search for plants online (whether for home or office), you will often see that retailers often include details about the conditions that they do best under. If you choose plants that suit the different conditions found in the various spaces (in your home or) office, then you are more likely to notice an effect.” Kenneth Freeman, Purposeful Places and Chair of plants@work.

 

‘People living in urban areas and working in an office environment spend a significant portion of their time indoors, yet studies show that employee productivity increases in offices with natural components like sunlight and plants. Employees can benefit from even the smallest hint of biophilic design, so it will continue to play a central role in the future of workplace design. It doesn’t need to come at a huge expense – simply spruce up your outdoor space, adding some plants throughout the office or opting for natural materials will make a difference.’ 

(Courtesy of 2023 WorkplaceDesignTrends)

 

Lastly, we would like to say that plants do far more in the workplace than clean the air including these attributes mentioned below: 

• Increased productivity and creativity
• Raises humidity levels and general wellbeing
• Reduce stress, noise levels, minor ailments i.e. headaches, and absenteeism
• Reduce negativity
• 43% fewer mistakes are made in the presence of plants

 You can read more about the many research papers that have led to these conclusions on our website: https://www.plantsatwork.org.uk/index.php/benefits-of-plants and https://www.plantsatwork.org.uk/index.php/resources 

 

Lastly, we’d like to see companies from all avenues of interest in the industry working together for the good of the workforce. 

 

Yours faithfully

 

 

Sent to:

Banner UK

Newland House

Tuscany Park

Normanton

Wakefield

West Yorkshire

WF6 2TZ