Fresh-cut flowers are not an 'environmental crime' — and they should continue to be a part of life’s special moments including Valentine’s Day.

There is a lot of negative talk about the cut-flower industry, especially when it comes to use of synthetic pesticides like glyphosate that is associated with polluting water flows and land, as well as harming human health.

Plus, we know that not all flower farm workers are treated fairly, and some are unfortunately subject to workplace discrimination and gender-based violence.

But there is a choice when it comes to fresh-cut flowers, the environment, and the fair treatment of workers and that option is Fairtrade, as well as other responsible certification schemes.

Fairtrade certified flowers must adhere to strict and comprehensive standards that include robust environmental criteria. The specifications require irrigation with reduced water consumption, strict waste management, and respect for biodiversity.

Meanwhile, highly toxic pesticides and GMOs are strictly prohibited.

Flower farm worker health and safety is also a requirement for Fairtrade certification. Moreover, the work provides a meaningful impact to female and young farm workers, who thanks to their employment can move away from poverty and closer to supporting their own livelihoods.

Buying Fairtrade certified flowers at supermarkets and florists throughout the European Union means not only gifting joy this Valentine’s Day but also helping to create long-term sustainable change in highly challenging environments like Kenya and Ethiopia. 

Fairtrade Standards prohibit the use of pesticides that pose the greatest health risks to producers, workers, their communities, and the environment. Fairtrade requires the progressive elimination of all other pesticides that are classified as highly hazardous by agencies such as the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Fairtrade flowers also grow in climates that allow naturally-heated conditions.

Carbon footprint?

This is why Fairtrade flowers have a lighter carbon footprint on average than those grown under artificial heat and light in Europe, even when factoring in transport. For example, a recent study found that Fairtrade cut roses from Kenya — whether transported to Switzerland by air or sea — have a lower impact across all other environmental areas analysed, including cumulative energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions, and freshwater eutrophication.

Plus, several Fairtrade flower farms in Kenya have invested in both climate change mitigation and adaptation programmes, such as Wildfire Flowers, Ravine Roses, and Equinox. They were awarded a carbon neutral status by One Carbon World, a United Nations-approved partner in carbon emissions measurements and credits.

Alongside banning the most dangerous pesticides, Fairtrade Standards are based on the conventions and recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and require that the health and safety of producers and workers is protected. And while most countries are signatories to the ILO conventions and have legislation on health and safety, enforcement is often compromised, and workers are exposed.

The Fairtrade Standards, which include the use of proper personal protective equipment, training on personal safety, prescribed entry time after spraying, periodic medical check-ups, and establishing proper waste management, are important to protect workers where weak and ineffective measures are in place. 

Some 75 certified producer organisations in six low income countries employ over 75,000 workers who are part of Fairtrade system. Fairtrade works to ensure decent working conditions, fixed contracts for their employees (a rarity on non-certified farms) and protection of workers’ rights, such as requiring farms to have gender committees so that all voices are heard.

Women's wages

For women, the impact is even greater. Fairtrade flower plantations offer a lifeline to rural women, providing essential income, enabling their families to thrive, and increasing their independence.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), women comprise, on average, 43 percent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries. Some 56 percent of the 75,000 workers on Fairtrade certified flower farms around the world are women, and women hold a number of leadership and management positions at those farms.

Fairtrade sales generate an additional Fairtrade Premium, which is an additional sum of money that flower workers can use – as they see fit – to improve their social, economic, and environmental conditions. In 2023, Fairtrade flower sales generated over €7.3m in Premium payments.

A new study by ImpactLoop showed the significant economic benefits that flower workers in Kenya received through the Fairtrade Premium, with education, healthcare, and housing emerging as key areas of impact.

The study found that Fairtrade flower workers in Kenya received about €107 per year in benefits through the Fairtrade Premium. These extra funds are a considerable economic support, particularly for women workers, who often have lower wages than men.

With flower workers’ salaries averaging around €895 per year, the Premium benefits, which equal about 10 percent of their salary, supports workers who earn below the living wage benchmark of €2,808.

Fairtrade recognises that there are no quick-fixes to the problems in the cut flower industry, but boycotting flowers is not the solution. It will just increase unemployment in countries where jobs are scarce, and poverty is rampant. Instead, banning toxic chemicals, improving employment conditions, such as better pay and equal rights, and enabling flower workers to invest in projects that improve their lives and their communities is what we need to be doing. 

This article originally appeared in the EU Observer.