“Truths and roses have thorns.”
One of the things that can say “I love you” to someone we care about is a dozen red roses. Through the fragrance, color, texture, and meaning of roses, we try to make our beautiful message loud and clear. It is one of those things that speaks to what we are thinking. However, has the idea ever crossed your mind where that dozen red roses came from?
Those roses that our thoughts count travel thousands of miles and are worth $ 100 billion worldwide. According to Fairtrade Canada, the Netherlands is the largest exporter with 55% of the trade, then Colombia with 18% and Ecuador and Kenya with 15%. After their long journeys, these roses reach their destination and become refrigerated products that are distributed to wholesalers and stores before they reach the hands of whoever we give them to.
But what about the hands of whoever cut them first? According to a study by the International Labor Rights Fund, in Ecuador and Colombia 66% of florists, mostly women, have health problems such as respiratory diseases, skin rashes and eye infections caused by toxins. 200 kilos of pesticides are used per hectare, twice what is used in the Netherlands and 75 times more than conventional agriculture in developed countries. Sadly, the flower industry is known for its poor working conditions, low wages, overcrowded housing, and serious problems related to worker exposure to dangerous chemicals, pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers.
And what about the soil that grew them? Research from Britain’s Cranfield University indicates that intensive rose cultivation can have a negative environmental impact. For example, in the carbon footprint of rose farms in the Netherlands and Kenya in 2016, it is visible that 12,000 Kenyan roses released 6,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide and the Netherlands generated 35,000 kilograms for the same amount of roses. In other words, the production of these Kenyan roses is equivalent to driving a car for 10 days without stopping. As for Dutch roses, the production is equal to the energy used by an ordinary household for two and a half years.
Now, don’t wither. Green and sustainable movements in the floral industry are growing. Consciousness is flourishing. Fairtrade Canada’s findings show that there is a visible increase in consumer demand to find out where the product they buy comes from and if it is sourced ethically. Retailers are also doing their part to make flower fair trade flourish, where products have been certified to offer a better deal to the farmers and workers involved.
“Won’t you come to the garden? I’d like my roses to see you.”