Is There A More Eco-Friendly Alternative To Giving A Cut Flower Bouquet?
Long-Distance Travel
The primary reason for floral bouquets harming our environment is the fact that cut flowers are often imported, being flown for thousands of miles in the refrigerated hold of an aircraft. For example, in the USA, most important flowers come from Ecuador and Colombia, while in Europe, the majority of imported cut flowers come from East Africa. China is another emerging producer of cut flowers, supplying to both the EU and USA. Since the flower trade worldwide is episodic and rapid, the sector’s environmental footprint is amplified. It’s considered best practice to get blooms from the field into the vase within 3 – 5 days. In the case of producers in Colombia, flowers may lose as much as 15% of their value every day they spend in transit.
High Use Of Water
Many flowers today are cultivated in industrial-scale, high-altitude greenhouses for pest, humidity, and disease control, and flowers farms are frequently larger than 500 acres. Not only that, but flowers are very thirsty plants, contributing to higher water usage as well as chemical runoff. As an example, Lake Naivasha in Kenya is suffering from drought, with 50% of all its water being used within flower greenhouses.
Significant Carbon Emissions
Not only does the flower cultivation industry promote the use of pollutants and use excessive amounts of valuable water resources, but it also generates significant levels of carbon emissions due to long-haul refrigerated transport. Often, stems are transported as far as 6000 miles within refrigerated aircraft holds. For just a single Valentine’s Day, Columbia-grown flowers that are flown into American airports can produce around 360,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide – the equivalent of driving 78000 cars for a year. Once flowers have arrived in the country where they will be sold, they’re then often trucked for countless miles from hubs to nationwide locations in gas-consuming trucks.
International transport of flowers isn’t the only way in which this industry increases carbon dioxide levels in the environment. Flowers require heated greenhouses when they’re grown in a cooler climate and, of course, this is electricity-intensive, producing higher CO2 emissions. Often, flowers grown in this type of environment also need more chemicals to flourish.
Harming Workers Worldwide
While the environmental consequences of the cut flower industry can be severe, it’s important to remember that there is also a human cost. Workers are often exposed to insecticides, preservatives and fertilizers containing harmful toxins. Meanwhile, people living near floricultural greenhouses may also find that their health suffers due to contamination from pesticides which may affect local water supplies.
In many emerging economies where flower cultivation is predominant, working conditions are also often poor. Women tend to make up the majority of the floricultural workforce, and long hours with low pay are standard practice, even though certifications have attempted to improve the situation since the 90s.
Should I Buy Cut Flowers As A Gift For A Loved One?
Of course, we have been used to buying bouquets for loved ones as gifts for a very long time, so it isn’t surprising that many people are reluctant to stop purchasing cut flowers altogether. Yet, while individual buyers are unable to reverse the impact the cut flower industry is having on the world, it’s still important to take a sustainable and ethical approach to floral gift-giving.
If you’re considering buying a bouquet for a special occasion or for a loved one, it’s always wise to ask how far the flowers have traveled, whether they were sustainable and ethically produced, and who will be profiting from your purchase. Of course, it can often be difficult to find the answers to those questions.
One way to resolve the problem is to purchase a different type of floral gift. A glazed or precious metal-dipped rose, such as those produced by Eternity Rose, makes a stunning present for an anniversary, birthday, or any other special occasion, and it will also last a lifetime. Your carbon footprint will be minimized, you’ll eliminate waste, and you won’t be contributing to exploitation of workers.
It’s clear that there’s certainly an ongoing demand for floral gifts to mark a host of occasions worldwide, but if more of us can do our bit and think about alternative, sustainable options, we can all make a positive impact to protect our planet and preserve our environment for the next generation to enjoy.