Fairly traded flowers

Following on from our foray into the world of flowers yesterday, let's look a bit more closley at why we should consider Fair Trade Flowers. I know there's still a couple of weeks to go before Fair Trade Fortnight, but with Valentines day approaching I think this is the time to talk flowers.

According to the Flowers & Plants Association British people will spend around £30 million on 'fresh' flowers this Valentines Day and with around 90% of those flowers being bought by men, so please make sure your significant other sees this before he buys!

Well over 9 million red roses are given in the UK, the majority flown in from Colombia, India, Israel, Kenya and Zimbabwe and over 50 million red roses are traded worldwide on this day alone!

So it can't be denied, if you're going to buy roses, or any flowers that are flown here, it just makes sense to buy Fairtrade. By doing this you will be ensuring that workers and producers on farms in the third world will be getting a better deal from your purchase. The premium you pay for Fair Trade flowers goes towards funding further improvements for workers and their communities, and helps empower them to play a more active role in farm management issues that affect them. It ensures that less pesticides are used in the cultivation of the flowers thus making it a less toxic environment for the workers. You will be instrumental in helping workers look forward to a more secure future and a better quality in their day-to-day lives.