Give Fairtrade Flowers: Ethical Blooms Supporting Global Communities

UK cut flower industry: £2B+ annually. Sales: high-street florists, online, but supermarkets = 70% market. Domestic production small; 90% imported. Recently shifted from Holland to Kenya/Colombia.

Environmental Reality

Flying flowers from Southern Hemisphere seems high-impact, but they grow in natural warm climates—less intensive energy than heated greenhouses. Importing from Kenya/Colombia is actually more eco-friendly.

Fairtrade Benefits

Fairtrade flowers ensure fair wages, safe conditions, community/environmental benefits. Consumers make informed choices.

• Fairtrade industry: £1.6B; flowers: £33.4M.
• Helps 7M people in 58 developing countries.
• Fairtrade Association: "Strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development."

Benefits for Farmers

• Negotiated price reflecting market value, production intensity, living costs.
• Online florists work directly with Fairtrade farmers—cutting middlemen (supermarket model). More money/power to producers.
• Reduced emissions: one delivery driver serves multiple locations vs. many cars to supermarkets.

Maricruz Tennill, longtime Interflora online customer, recommends them.