A gentle reminder : Flowers for Valentine's Day generate a carbon footprint

Flowers for Valentine's Day generate a carbon footprint

Our pursuit of goodwill and affection towards humanity through the giving of cut flowers is hurting the Mother Nature

Millions of flowers are sold around the world on Valentine's Day. This contributes to carbon emissions and waste ! Last year Australians imported more than 5.22 million rose stems between Feb 1 and 14, mostly from Kenya. Assuming typical bouquets of 24 roses, that’s 217,500 bouquets sold in two weeks.

The problem is that our pursuit of goodwill and affection towards humanity through the giving of cut flowers is hurting the number one lady in all of our lives: Mother Nature.

If those 217,500 bouquets were each wrapped in 75cm of plastic cellophane, that adds up to more than 163km of plastic wrapping used in a two-week period – just for roses, just in Australia.

So this Valentine’s Day, let’s consider making smarter, more sustainable flower purchases.

PETAL POWER

In Australia alone, there are more than 900 flower farms intensively cultivating 4,470 ha in order to supply almost 2,000 florists. However, the majority of cut flowers sold in Australia actually originate overseas, with imports from Ecuador alone valued at A$1.9 million (US$1.5 million) in 2015.

If you’re asking yourself “why are delicate flowers shipped halfway around the world?” that is a great question. Countries near the Equator, like Ecuador, benefit from good growing conditions, including 12 hours of daylight all year round. In these regions, the contribution of the flower industry to the economy of small or less developed countries is often significant.

In eastern Africa, for example, flowers account for more than 10 per cent of total exports, second only to tea. Lower wages in countries like Ecuador and Kenya also contribute to the economics of flying cut flowers around the world. Unfortunately, this often comes at a cost for local growers and pickers, who experience poor working conditions.

THE THORNY CARBON ISSUE

In the United States, the roughly 100 million roses grown, shipped and purchased on a typical Valentine’s Day produce some 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, from field to florist.

But, as with most things in our complex and busy world, the question of a flower’s carbon footprint isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.  The Netherlands is one of the world’s biggest exporters of cut flowers, where the majority are grown in heated or refrigerated green houses.

Maintaining the controlled environmental conditions inside these buildings requires artificial light, heat and cooling, so each rose grown in the Netherlands contributes an average of around 2.91kg of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

In contrast, a single rose grown on a farm in Kenya contributes only 0.5kg.

This is largely because Kenyan hot houses do not use artificial heating or lighting, and most farm workers walk or cycle to work. As a result, flowers grown in tropical regions are sometimes considered low-carbon.

Of course, this doesn’t always factor in international transport.

PESKY PESTICIDES

As flowers are not an edible crop, they are typically exempt from regulations on pesticide use. As a result, the cut flower industry is one of the biggest consumers of pesticides worldwide.

In Kenya and other countries, chemicals such as methyl bromide and others that are banned in countries like the US are regularly imported in significant quantities by flower growers for pest control.

Worryingly, methyl bromide is an ozone-depleting substance. In some cases, run-off of these chemicals from growing fields adjacent to water bodies, such as Kenya’s Lake Naivasha, has resulted in the collapse of fish stocks that are crucial to local communities.

LET US TAKE ACTION

The good news is that there are plenty of eco-friendly ways to show your devotion.

The best option is to grow your own flowers to give as gifts.

You can also give that special someone a living plant that can grow in their garden for years to come.

If you decide to buy imported flowers, look for labels indicating that suppliers are members of regulatory schemes.

It’s also worth asking or insisting that your local florist switch from plastic cellophane wrapping to butcher’s paper (or similar environmentally friendly material).

GREEN BUSINESS IS GOOD BUSINESS – CASE STUDY

The reality that growers are facing a market that is increasingly getting concerned over unsustainable practices dawned on the industry when supermarkets stated that they will only be sourcing flowers from growers involved in sustainable practices.

n adherence to this requirement, Kenyan flower grower and exporter Oserian Development Corporation has come up with a raft of measures aimed at maintaining production over a long period of time without compromising on natural systems or its responsibility to workers, suppliers and the local communities.

As one of the largest exporters of cut roses to the European Union, Oserian has adopted a ‘champions by nature’ approach to flower growing. The company utilises the integrated pest management (IPM) system, hydroponics to reduce water and fertiliser consumption and has the world’s largest geothermal heating project for maintaining the temperature in its greenhouses and for the provision of carbon dioxide (CO2) needed by the plants.

The company has adjusted its production system to address the ongoing changes in European Union’s environmental legislation which has increased pressure on agricultural production from EU’s trade partners. “We’re seeing developments in legislation on pesticides and bee-friendly products,” says Hamish Ker, Oserian’s technical director. He adds that the EU currently measures maximum residue limits (MRL) of pesticides on vegetables and fruit imports.

The company has invested heavily in natural solutions. It has launched a new outfit called Two Lakes, to develop new biological solutions through own research or by partnering with leading IPM companies. Oserian considers investing in natural solutions as a means of improving the company’s products for lowering costs. Ker says that this makes Oserian more competitive. “Yes, we have to invest in training on how to use these unique systems, but once you have that capacity, you find that nature’s solutions are more sustainable from all perspectives. To all intents and purposes, what you’re doing is creating a balanced ecosystem on the farm.”

Initiatives to reduce carbon footprint : To further reduce its carbon footprint, the company has imported seven electric vehicles from the Netherlands. “We’re going to use them to convert our trucks from fossil fuel to electric vehicles, which we can power from our geothermal plant,” says Ker. “If the project goes well, we’ll see more electric vehicle use in the future.” “Green business is good business,” says Ker who adds that the company hopes to save on the $500,000 it uses on diesel each year.

In addition, the company has embraced a more environmentally-friendly transportation process. It has adopted a unique concept for packing flowers developed by a Nairobi-based company, Cargolite. The latter’s cardboards are strengthened with a plastic skeleton. “This means a lighter box, which saves on air freight, cardboard, and results in a reduced impact on the environment.” Ker adds that by using the new packaging system, Oserian now saves as much as $8,000 for every one million stems transported to Europe.

Support to farmers & herders: Further, the company has been supporting local farmers to develop clean seeds. “Our sister company, Stokman, has developed clean seed banana planting materials and potatoes in its labs.” Ker says that the company helps local farmers by doing soil analysis, “so that they can understand the imbalances and can apply the right fertilisers and other corrective measures.”

Oserian has been providing high-breed sheep to local herders. “We have sheep on the farm to keep the grass short around the greenhouses, which reduces the insects and the diseases.” Ker says that the company imported a pedigree breed of sheep from South Africa called the Dorper, which it crossed with the local Maasai breed. “We set aside some of the ram lambs every year and donate them to the community, to help improve their flocks.