The poppies sold by the Royal British Legion to commemorate Remembrance Sunday each year will in future be made entirely from paper.
In the biggest shake-up to the emblem’s design for 28 years, the stem and centre of the poppies will now be recyclable in household waste collections.
Each year in November, some British people wear a poppy to show respect for military personnel who died in the first world war, or as a show of support for the armed forces more generally.
The new poppy is made entirely of paper, with a black centre embossed with ‘Poppy Appeal’, and a leaf with a crease. It can be fastened with a pin in the stem, worn in a buttonhole, or a stick-on version is available.
The Royal British Legion had previously faced criticism over the amount of plastic waste created by the commemorative poppies. The flower will now be made of “upcycled fibre”, made from offcuts from paper cup production, and the fresh fibre is wood pulp from FSC certified forestry sources. The Royal British Legion says the new poppy’s carbon footprint is 40% lower than the previous design owing to the increase in recycled paper used.
Andy Taylor-Whyte, poppy appeal director at the Royal British Legion, said: “After years of work and collaboration with our partners designing a new poppy, creating new paper and machinery and road-testing it for durability and colour-fastness, we have been able to eliminate single-use plastic and create a poppy that is an enduring symbol of respect and remembrance as well as being more planet-friendly.
Prof Paola Lettieri, from University College London’s department of chemical engineering, which was involved with the redesign, said: “We looked at its carbon footprint and factors like how much water and resources go into making it, in what’s called a life-cycle assessment. By replacing the single-use plastic with a paper-based design, and increasing the amount of recycled paper used, UCL found that the new poppy design has a 40% smaller carbon footprint and a similar reduction in its overall impact on the environment.”
The plastic-free poppy, which was created in collaboration with designers Matter and with paper supplier James Cropper, will be available alongside remaining stocks of the current poppy to reduce any waste of poppies already produced.
The poppies raise money for the charity, which supports armed forces personnel, veterans, and their families on issues including homelessness, financial support and mental health.
White “peace” poppies, which remember all victims of war, have been plastic free since last year. The poppies were originally made in 1933 by the Co-operative Women’s Guild.
The new white poppy design is plastic-free, biodegradable and recyclable in household recycling along with paper and cardboard. Those who wear the white poppies do so to highlight that about 90% of those killed in war are non-combatants, and to call for peace and an end to ongoing wars.
