Cheap plastic living walls warning
BUSINESSES ARE being warned against using cheap, plastic living walls that could invalidate their building insurance and pose a fire risk.
phs Greenleaf says that it is seeing an increasing number of businesses buying low-cost replica living walls online as a way to add more aesthetic appeal to their buildings. However, many of these plastic walls do not meet health and safety standards and can put lives in danger.
Stephen Dieppe, managing director of phs Greenleaf said, "There are lots of these cheap replica walls available on different low-cost websites, often being delivered from overseas. You do not know the type of plastic that’s been used, what materials the foliage are made from or how it has been manufactured and, unfortunately, it may end up costing businesses a lot in the long run. We are hearing almost monthly reports now of cheap living walls going up in flames.
“Unless you can guarantee that your living wall is flame retardant, your insurance will not cover it either, and you are putting the people using your building at risk as well as breaching your health and safety obligations.”
Replica living walls are often used as an alternative to real living walls in interior spaces where low light or the environment may not allow real plants to thrive. Research has shown that both real and replica living walls bring huge benefits to those who use the space around them, including improvements in general well-being and mood and greater productivity.
phs Greenleaf supplies over 8,000 customers in a range of sectors with high quality horticultural services.
For more information, visit www.phsgreenleaf.co.uk
