2 years, 2 months ago

Sustainability has long been a topic of interest in the floral industry. Since flowers have a short shelf-life, they need to be purchased over and over instead of being a one-time purchase. This makes sustainability even more important when it comes to flowers. This is compounded by the fact that the floral industry is global, and many flowers purchased are imported. In the U.S., 82% of all cut flowers are imported. In Europe, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK account for 70% of cut roses imports to the EU. Most of these flowers are imported from South American countries like Colombia and Ecuador because their flowers are amongst the best in the world.

There’s no denying that flowers have to be imported using airplanes. However, this makes it even more important to ensure the rest of the process is sustainable and has minimal impact on the environment. At Fresh-o-Fair, we work with sustainable farms that uphold our values. Many flower farms we work with have environmental and social certifications and those that don’t, have comprehensive social and environmental projects in place.

Why Buying Sustainable Flowers Helps

If you want to be a part of the solution and reduce your environmental footprint, buy sustainable flowers. By supporting sustainable farms, you’re not just helping the environment but also supporting social and environmental projects on the flower farms.

It also means you get high-quality products and know their origins. Instead of just offering your customers flowers, you can give them the story behind them and make them aware of floral origins and quality.

Fresh-o-Fair Has a Network of Sustainable Farms

At Fresh-o-Fair, we rely on a large network of sustainable flower farms.

Nevado Roses

Nevado Roses is Fairtrade certified and has social programs for its workers, including a dining room, and kindergarten for employees’ children. It was the first company in Salcedo to offer medical care and offered its employees specialized and free medicine and social insurance procedures. The company also has a dental center for its employees.

Agrogana

Agrogana is also Fairtrade certified and takes sustainability very seriously. In addition to using natural practices and non-toxic treatments, the company cares for its employees’ health and wellbeing. Agrogana also considers employees' families, offers home improvements and education opportunities, and is committed to going above and beyond to advocate for workers’ rights.

Ecuadorian Quality Roses (EQR)

EQR is Fairtrade certified and part of the Rainforest Alliance. It promotes social wellbeing, conservation, and sustainability. Whether preserving the soil or using alternatives to harsh chemicals, EQR has been at the forefront of safeguarding biodiversity. In addition to having full-time doctors and nurses catering their staff’s medical needs, and partakes in several social programs to serve the community.

Magic Flowers

In addition to being part of the Rainforest Alliance, Magic Flowers has gone above and beyond to promote sustainable flower-growing practices. They don’t use any red label herbicides or pesticides and use organic waste and compost as fertilizer. From embracing biodiversity and preventing hunting and fishing to using 30% less water and recycling used water, Magic Flowers is a great flower farm to support. It’s also socially responsible and prides itself on hiring women at a higher rate than other farms. All workers receive health, life, and accident insurance, and the company has loan programs in place to aid their community further.

Agrocoex

Agrocoex is a Fairtrade project and part of the Rainforest Alliance. The company’s social responsibility projects include loan programs that provide micro-financial services to employees, dental care, educational scholarships, housing, laundry, and computer education and literacy.

Learn more about Fresh-o-Fair’s mission here. Our floral concierge services can help you obtain fresh-cut sustainable flowers at fair and transparent prices. Reach out to us here for more information.