Valentine’s Day roses prompt push for ethical trading

Supermarkets and consumers are being urged to show concern for the source of Valentine’s Day flowers and other non-food crops, with researchers warning of the ecological impacts of unsustainable land use.

Particularly on commemorative days throughout the year, consumers can lose sight of the origin of products they buy. University of Leicester ecology and conservation biologist, Dr David Harper, warns that consumer appetite for cut-price Kenyan roses for Valentine's Day is threatening the region's ecology.

70 per cent of roses sold in European supermarkets come from Kenya, most from Naivasha. Harper called on UK supermarkets to show more concern for the environment that the flowers come from.

Harper has spent over 30 years researching wetland conservation at Kenya's Lake Naivasha and said the growth of the flowers is draining the valuable water supply.

The Christmas market has been another area of disquiet. Christmas tree agriculture in Georgia has raised environmental and social concerns. Dangerous working conditions, low pay and unsustainable land use, are among the problems in the post Soviet state.

According to Steven McNulty PhD from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, climate change is having an effect on Georgia's forests and natural resources, with water stress, inefficient land use, population increases and temperature changes impacting trees and biodiversity. For the environmental and social situation to stabilise the country needs to work towards sustainability in the Christmas tree industry.

Communities in Georgia desire the opportunity to take ownership of the country's natural resources, and subsequently become equipped with skills and knowledge, however poverty has restricted this.

Danish Marianne Bols, the driving force behind the Fair Trees Christmas tree nursery, has taken initiative in the profitable pine tree business in a sustainable way. She sells Georgian pine trees in Denmark, allowing Georgian businesses to profit.

Valentine’s Day has attracted the next buying rush, and Harper warns of similar land concerns. In Kenya, farmers have demonstrated the capacity to take a more proactive role.

"A notable few of the farmers sending roses to Europe are showing concern and an eagerness to pioneer a sustainable way forward: the best flower farms have achieved Fairtrade status, which brings money back into the workforce for social welfare improvements. Two farms have even seconded senior managers to help Kenya's water management agency at Naivasha," said Harper.

However, he warns that the extensive scale of UK supermarket promotions of flowers over Valentine's Day — and subsequently on Mother's Day – pay little regard to how environmentally sustainably they are grown. This will just increase the export of water, the scarcest natural resource in Kenya, said Harper.

He adds that there are only a few good farms, and others come without any ecological certification.

The origin of roses is not always clear and cheap roses are often grown by companies which cut corners to avoid legislation, selling them by auction in Amsterdam so buyers think they come from Holland. Harper stresses that supermarkets should investigate their sources fully.

A spokesperson for the supermarket chain, Asda, said: "We have very high ethical standards in all the products we source, including roses, and we work closely with all our producers to maintain these high standards of excellence."

Marks & Spencer claims that the Kenyan red roses "are not only stunning but the Fairtrade premium Kenyan flower growers receive, allows them to invest in their community.”

Image: ndrwfgg | Flickr