Flowers not so natural...

Flowers are beautiful, can be offered in all circumstances and it’s always a pleasure

to receive them. Unfortunately, there are many negative points behind this beautiful

intention. Europeans buy 50% of the cut flowers marketed worldwide, with a clear preference

for roses. Their beauty, their perfume, everything seems positive. It is not the act of

offering flowers that, in itself, is harmful to the environment: it is rather the origin of the

flowers and the way in which they have been cultivated which are sources of nuisances.

The men and women who work on these farms are not only underpaid, but also exposed to dangerous chemicals without any protection or information.

The social and health impact is important, especially in poor countries.

Most flowers are imported (this is the case for 90% of roses, orchids and tulips), and

often from far away: Central America, Africa and, recently, India are the regions of the

world that export the most cut flowers.

Flowers, fragile and with a limited life must be sent very fast. It means: by plane. The

emission of harmful gases is important.

To provide the consumer with perfect flowers, producers use large amounts of pesticides (sometimes very dangerous and banned in Europe), fertilizer and water. They are also fragile and sensitive to temperature, rain, wind and sun for some of them. Too often, it is necessary to grow them in a greenhouse, which leads to an air conditioning system (and therefore CO2 emission), lighting when natural light is insufficient at certain times of the year (this is particularly the case in Holland ) and a lot of watering.

For example, growing roses in Kenya causes land to lose its wealth and biodiversity. The

water is also very polluted.

To avoid giving up to offer flowers you can observe some signs of quality:

- Flowers from fair trade, we know that workers are paid correctly.

- The organic farming label, but it is rather rare for flowers.

- The Flower Quality Charter: flowers are produced locally, it guarantees a flower of

excellent quality.

- You can choose flowers according to the season.

In spring: peonies, tulips, lily of the valley,... In summer: Roses, hydrangea,, lavender,... In

autumn: chrysanthemums, camellias,... In winter: winter jasmine, mimosa,...

- And of course, don’t hesitate to ask your florist for advice!

In conclusion, when you buy flowers make sure of their origin. You

will make a nice gift to your family but even more to the planet!