As Valentine’s Day approaches, with Mother’s Day following shortly after that, literally millions of cut flowers will be purchased over the next month. Although very romantic and intended to show love, these flowers are almost always imported from abroad and come with very large carbon footprints.
This article is going to look at the environmental impact of importing so many flowers at this time of year and also some of the social costs attached to them. It will examine a few of the ways we can be a little more energy efficient and ethically efficient when it comes to giving flowers.
The environmental impact
Often-cited concerns over the environmental impact of cut flowers are the carbon emissions resulting from transport and storage. A large proportion of the flowers we buy in the UK are grown in either Africa or South America. To transport these flowers entails large amounts of energy, not only to power the plane or ship, but also for the cold storage these flowers require to stay in good condition. The other option is buying flowers grown in Europe where these transport related emissions are much lower.
Unfortunately, the trouble with European flowers is that they require vast amounts of energy to power the hothouses in which the flowers are grown. In hotter climates such as Africa, however, there is no need for hothouses as the flowers are grown ‘naturally’. A 2007 study by Cranfield University [1] found that roses grown in Kenya used 53,000 megajoules (MJ) of primary energy and emitted 6000kg of CO2 while roses grown in Holland used 520,000 MJ and caused 35,000kg of carbon to be released. That’s almost 10 times the energy required and 6 times the carbon emissions to grow the same number of flowers in Europe.
This study was for 12,000 roses and covers all aspects of the process from growth to transport. If we consider the massive amount of flowers that are given over this period, the carbon emissions from this purely luxury commodity soon add up. If we then include birthdays, anniversaries and times when us men have come home far too late from the pub, we are looking at huge quantities of energy and carbon.
So going by these results, it would seem prudent for environmentally aware people such as ourselves to make sure we buy flowers that are grown in hot counties. However, it’s not only the environment that should be considered when buying flowers.
Other considerations
Flowers grown in European countries tend to be governed by much stricter rules with regard to pesticide use and workers’ rights. In developing countries within Africa and South America, however, the picture is often very different.
A report by Food and Water Watch and The Council of Canadians [2] highlighted the problems with the massive flower-growing agribusiness at Lake Naivasha, Kenya. There are more than 30 flower farms around the lake and they have drastically drained and polluted the water, destroying the local ecosystem. There are also very poor labour standards and the pesticides being used are having a major effect on the local population, flora and fauna. All in all, it’s a pretty poor outlook for the environment and the people, plants and animals that live within it.
While this may be an extreme example, these types of problems are occurring all over the developing world in flower growing regions and the governance is not in place to stop it. The most powerful tool here is consumer power.
What other options are there?
There are currently steps being taken to improve the ethics behind the flower industry, but a lot more can still be done. By being a little savvy and more aware of the issue, we can hopefully send a message and speed up the process of fixing the problem.
Organisations such as Fair Flowers, Fair Plants [3] run both environmental and social certification programmes. These ensure that their associate growers adhere to high standards with regards to matters such as environmental stewardship, pesticide use and working conditions. Also look out for flowers that bear the Fairtrade logo. With this in mind you can buy flowers that are not only better for the planet, but also the people who grow them as well. There are also companies that sell bouquets of British grown flowers, so have a look out for these too.
Some other options at these special times of year are:
- Buy a plant that will grow, just like your love (euugh, sorry about that). Seriously though, it may not be as romantic as a bunch of flowers, but a quality rose plant will last many years and provide hundreds of blooms. You could perhaps also buy one of those bulbs that grow into a beautiful flower; but I would draw the line at a packet of seeds, though.
- Buy chocolates or some other romantic gift – perhaps an eco kettle or an energy saving light bulb.
- Start a campaign to move Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day to the middle of summer so we can all grow our own flowers to give as gifts.
In summary then…
Before you buy that special person a bunch of flowers, have a little think about what goes into them and where they are from. There are ethically grown flowers available and they are very easy to find. Bear in mind that just because flowers come from close to home they may not necessarily be more eco-friendly, but also reflect on the ethics behind the industry.
It would appear that the most environmentally friendly flowers in terms of carbon emissions are those from countries where they can be grown without the need for massive inputs of energy; but then there are the transport emissions to consider. Conversely, if flowers do come from these areas then we need to think about the other problems such as destroying the local environment and other social concerns.
I admit it’s a bit of a minefield, but if you can find a supplier you trust to deliver you ethical, environmentally friendly flowers, then tell your friends. Together we can all make a difference,
Now. I’m off to buy something for my wife for Valentine’s Day, or my environment will be suffering some catastrophic impacts. Feel the love.
References
[2] http://www.canadians.org/water/documents/NaivashaReport08.pdf
