In an ideal world we’d all live off the land behind our houses, have a couple of goats for milk, only buy clothes made in our own country, walk or horse and cart everywhere (nope, not even bikes would be allowed) and be asleep by 7 as no lighting allowed!
That simply isn’t possible and like food, building materials, transport et al, we all need imported elements in our lives.
Of course, if you can buy sustainably produced, locally grown or made, products you absolutely must, that is a given.
But equally don’t fear imports. They are not all evil and that’s particularly true when it comes to flowers.
Because not only do imports make it possible for consumers to buy affordable flowers, either for themselves or as gifts, they provide an unbelievable level of work and prosperity for people around the globe.
Be it Colombia, Kenya, Ecuador, Costa Rica, The Netherlands, Italy (the list is endless!) without the flower industry, workers in these countries would be without food, housing, education, medical support, and, perhaps most importantly, self-respect.
Professionally run, officially accredited (see our Alphabet Soup section) and properly controlled flower farms, wherever they are in the world, are not hotbeds of awfulness but entire communities where the workers thrive and take pride in what they do.
And if you are concerned about Airmiles please don’t be. Yes, there is a logistical impact, but it is often greatly offset by the reductions in the need for artificial lighting and heating.
Colombia, Kenya and Ecuador are all on the Equator, have near perfect growing conditions with consistent temperatures and light levels so everything is grown naturally. What’s more, the vast majority of flowers are flown in as belly fillers … i.e. they are coming in on passenger flights so are not adding to the flight path, but instead making full use of existing ones.
Add in the increasing use of sea containers – especially from Colombia and Kenya and which as the Dutch Flower Group say can, depending on location, knock a massive 80 to 90% off CO2-eq emissions compared to air transport, and it’s just another reason why imports from the right growers are a positive in so many ways.
