In America, we associate cut flowers with love and respect for women. It is ironic to discover that most of the flowers imported into the United Stated come to us through the exploitation of women workers. According to the International Labor Rights Fund, flower workers are exposed to more than a hundred different pesticides, including some that are either prohibited or restricted in the U.S. and Europe. Pesticide poisoning is responsible for neurological problems, birth defects, miscarriages, and more. The combination of toxic exposure, human rights abuses, and environmental contamination in the flower industry is a sad and ugly example of greed and mistreatment.
How do we purchase flowers with a clean conscience? The day is coming when flowers will be marked like produce, with signs denoting their country of origin and varieties labeled “organic” and “fair-trade”. Though these labels are not yet commonplace, organic and fair-trade flowers can be found. Call your florist or shop online and ask for organic and fair trade certified. If you’re in a bind, and flowers appear to be the only way out, it may not be possible to find the certified kind in a pinch so find out where the flowers you are purchasing were grown. Don’t purchase flowers grown from Colombia, Ecuador, Kenya, or Tanzania. Do keep in
mind that any purchase of traditionally grown flowers does not address the issue of the enormous amount of pesticides used on flowers. Purchase organically grown flowers whenever possible.
What does Fair Trade Certified Flowers Mean?
Fair Trade Certified is a socially-responsible labeling system that denotes an ethically-sound product, workers who are fairly treated, and a safe work environment that employs environmental practices. No sweatshops, no forced labor, no slave labor.
When you buy Fair Trade Certified products, you are often supporting a co-operative in a developing country. Many
tea, coffee, and chocolate makers are now Fair Trade Certified. Look for the “certified” label on the product to guarantee that it’s being made ethically. If it says “Fair Trade” and does not say
certified, it is not regulated and is not necessarily up to the standards of the
Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO).
There are a growing number of flower companies that are becoming Fair Trade Certified. (A list appears at the end of this article.)
The International Labour Rights Forum created the “Fairness in Flowers Campaign” back in 2003 to combat the problems that have plagued workers in the cut flower industries in Columbia and Ecuador. These include violations of the right to organize, sexual harassment, forced pregnancy testing, occupational health and safety, and child labour. And because, as the International Labour Rights Forum says, “…most of the roses and carnations produced in these countries are exported to the United States where they are sold in florist shops, supermarkets, and on online retail sites,” by buying these flowers, you are supporting a grossly unfair system. It’s estimated that there are “…40,000 flower workers in Ecuador and over 100,000 in Colombia, working to grow, harvest, and package these flowers.”
The Flower Industry, It's not all Roses
Issue 4 | February/March 2010