1 year, 9 months ago

Some of the world’s most beautiful blooms come from Latin American countries renowned for their flower exports. Ecuador is one such country. According to OEC data, Ecuador exported $835 million worth of cut flowers in 2020 and is the third-largest flower exporter in the world.

In addition to producing beautiful, high-quality flowers, Ecuadorian floriculture has also focused on environmental care and sustainability. In fact, most of Fresh-o-Fair’s partner flower farms have numerous environmental and social programs in place and boast many environmental certifications. Ecuador, however, is going one step further in this through its newest initiative – the Ecuador Zero Carbon Program.

What Is the Ecuador Zero Carbon Program?

The Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition’s Zero Carbon Program promotes the reduction of carbon and neutrality of greenhouse gases to curtail climate change and promote sustainability.

The Zero Carbon initiative is in partnership with Flor Ecuador, and the companies certified with them. Flor Ecuador certification was established in 2005 as a sustainable and social scheme for Ecuadorian floriculture companies. It has succeeded in standardizing production practices across hundreds of flower farms in the last 17 years and is set to achieve 100% carbon neutrality by 2030. The Zero Carbon program has recruited 102 Flor Ecuador certified companies and estimates that 64% of the country’s flower production will be made more sustainable and low-carbon because of this project. Because the initiative is going to target more than 2,600 productive hectares, it has the ability to make a significant difference in Ecuadorian floriculture sustainability.

In addition to the obvious benefits in terms of sustainability and carbon emission reduction, the program offers many other benefits for the companies involved. These include using the trademark as an ecolabel, reducing operating costs, improving corporate image, marketing opportunities, and tax and labor incentives. This makes it worthwhile for the companies involved and can go a long way in encouraging further participation.

The Floral Industry in Ecuador

Floriculture is essential to the Ecuadorian economy and is the country’s fourth most important export sector. In fact, floriculture exports exceed sales of USD 1000 million annually. In addition, flower farms have worked to improve the social and economic conditions of more than 28,000 floriculture laborers and their families through various programs.

Fresh-o-Fair’s Focus on Sustainability in Floriculture

Fresh-o-Fair is passionate about sustainability in floriculture and works with several flower farms that are part of ExpoFlores or Flor Ecuador certified. The Ecuador Zero Carbon program is a disruptive one that will ensure environmental care and sustainability, and we hope our partner flower farms join this amazing initiative. One of our partner farms, Nevado Roses, has already committed itself to decarbonization by joining the project, and we look forward to other flower farms doing the same. Sort through Fresh-o-Fair’s partner farms and filter by location and certifications here. Clients can also get in touch with our team for further information. Feel free to reach out to us here; we look forward to hearing from you.