Not a romantic question for Valentine’s Day. Can you live without roses? Yes, they are the most popular cut flowers around the world and it’s no wonder. The flowers are stunning. But the race to get freshly cut roses from greenhouses to doorsteps takes place around the world every day, with negative impacts on the environment. That means it’s time to think differently.
At the airport, they are loaded onto a plane bound for Miami.
Approximately four hours later, the roses will land in Miami. These are then moved to cold storage and inspected by U.S. Customs.
By the time the roses arrive in the store, they have only been picked for 48 hours.
This fast-paced game of romantic business deals never stops. This is also absurd. The competition required to make mass-produced parts of nature available anytime, anywhere, for as little as $10 a dozen, is contributing significantly to the destruction of nature itself.
Passenger planes filled with flowers fly around the world every day. A mad dash from Colombia to Japan. Roses from Kenya end up in the UK. Carnations from Ecuadorian jet to Russia. Nearly all imported cut flowers undergo similar emissions-intensive transportation, including climate-controlled greenhouses, refrigerated trucks, and long refrigerated flights. Fresh flowers are a $34 billion global industry and have a huge carbon footprint.
Compared to other perishable products we transport around the world, flowers probably have the most negative impact on the climate. reason? Almost everything else is moved by ship, and the carbon footprint is 1% of air freight. Climate expert Mike Berners-Lee analyzed products sold in British grocery stores in 2020 and found that bouquets of imported flowers were more likely to be grown on deforested land in Brazil and grown in London. It turns out that the impact is greater than the 8 ounces of steak consumed.
A diagram comparing the environmental impact of commonly imported products in UK grocery stores.
For someone who loves flowers like my mother, this may come as a shock. When I talked about supply chain, she expressed her concerns. “I can see the harm,” she said. “But…they are so beautiful.”
I feel it too. Flowers play both a practical and symbolic role in our lives. They express emotions in ways that others cannot easily: sympathy, love, regret, respect, or just a gesture of caring.
There’s no need to give up on that.
There are many things the industry can do to reduce its impact on the climate. Greenhouses should be heated by renewable energy, and that should become easier as countries diversify their energy sources. This is especially important in the Netherlands, which is the world’s largest exporter of cut flowers. Highly automated and energy-intensive greenhouses are common in this country with a cloudy northern climate, and are largely powered by fossil fuels. Recently, the Dutch government and the horticulture sector agreed to reduce emissions from these greenhouses. It should not be a wasted effort.
Most importantly, this sector needs to move away from air cargo. Some companies are already experimenting with shipping flowers by sea, which can significantly reduce emissions. By carefully controlling the atmosphere in the container, it is possible to keep the cut stems dormant for several weeks. Most Western governments have not yet asked individual industries to reduce their reliance on air freight, but if lawmakers start issuing such orders, the cut flower industry should be among the first to be regulated.
Consumers can also help. Avoid his three species, which make up the majority of imported flowers: roses, carnations, and chrysanthemums. The environmental impact of our seasonal bouquets is greatly reduced as the flowers are locally grown and seasonal.
Flowers to avoid
Rose
chrysanthemum
Carnation
The Big 3 varieties are hardy and long-lasting, making them ideal for inexpensive mass production and quick delivery around the world. Its success as a globally produced export product means that American producers cannot compete. Instead, U.S. farmers primarily grow specialty flowers such as sunflowers, dahlias, zinnias, and snapdragons. They are more delicate and do not travel long distances well.
Therefore, buy flowers with less common names. It is grown primarily in California, but also on small farms across the country. There are no guarantees, but the chances of it arriving by air are significantly lower.
better alternative
universe
sweet william
hydrangea
Another thing consumers can do is look for the “Certified American Grown” label when buying flowers at the supermarket. This guarantees that the flowers were grown in the United States. Or is it still good? Never buy flowers at a chain grocery store. Instead, ask your local florist for a sustainable bouquet. Another way to make sure your flowers are grown locally is to buy them at your local farmers market.
Ultimately, the flower industry’s negative environmental impact stems from our desire for cheap, instant gratification and the brutally efficient drive of private industry to produce it. The well-being of people and the planet is secondary, if at all.
To address this, we need to reconsider our priorities. Yes, a fresh bouquet means instant beauty. It’s more sustainable to plant a few tulips and daylilies, or even phlox and daffodils, and they’ll come back year after year. Buy your favorite flowers only in season so you know what’s available locally at different times of the calendar. Relax your obsession with rock bottom prices. I would pay more for something closer. And let go of cultural expectations. Romance doesn’t have to be limited to roses.
Because when our efforts to bring natural beauty indoors are detrimental to that beauty itself, we begin to question the absurdity of our way of life.