Tell your Mum you love her with Fairtrade flowers!

2 March 2008

Sons and Daughters this Mother’s Day can now choose from the growing range of beautiful bouquets of Fairtrade certified flowers now available in shops and online.

Whether you express your appreciation with a simple bunch of Fairtrade roses or a pretty mail order posy, by making sure that your bunch of flowers carries the FAIRTRADE Mark, you can be sure that that the growers are getting a better deal.

New for Fairtrade Fortnight 2008, look out for select FAIRTRADE Mark ranges from:

Next Flowers - available online
Interflora - available online
Waitrose - available in store
Wholefoods - available in store
Sainsbury's - available in store and online
John Lewis - available online
Tesco - available in store and online
ASDA - available in store

The Fairtrade Foundation’s flower category now totals 75 licensed products, The Fairtrade Foundation’s flower category now totals 75 licensed products, representing a 71% increase since 2006 to over 83 million stems sold in 2007. The range of flower types now available has expanded from roses to include lisianthus, sunflowers, gypsophillia, alstroemeria and ruscus as well as recent additions of carnations and lilies.

Cut flowers sold via the grocery multiples accounted for 65% of sales in 2006 (Mintel) and continue to be the focus for growth in the Fairtrade flower market. In addition there has been a considerable rise in internet distribution, an ideal vehicle for the flower delivery networks.

To meet Fairtrade standards, flower farms must meet basic labour and environmental standards and must commit to ongoing improvements which are regularly monitored by FLO-CERT, the independent Fairtrade certification body.

Mark Varney, Business Development at the Fairtrade Foundation said: “Since Fairtrade roses were launched on the UK market in 2004, there has been real interest from consumers and retailers alike. It’s encouraging that more people recognize the benefits of buying Fairtrade certified flowers. The Fairtrade system is bringing real and far reaching change to the lives of growers in countries like Kenya, Sri Lanka, Columbia and Ecuador. “

Workers on Fairtrade certified farms have the right to join trade unions and negotiate with management on their terms and conditions of employment. They must, for example, be informed of their wage rates and work schedules, receive regular payment, have access to safe drinking water and be provided with adequate personal protective equipment when handling hazardous chemicals, with strictly observed re-entry intervals after pesticide spraying.

Rose Korir, who has worked in the pack house at Ravine Roses since 2003, said: “I have seen a significant improvement in the working conditions in the farm since we became Fairtrade accredited through training of workers, improved medical services and transport services. I want to say a big thank-you to Fairtrade consumers for making it happen.”

Workers also receive a Fairtrade premium which can be used for community and/or economic development projects, such as small loan schemes for workers. A Joint Body, comprising democratically elected representatives of workers, is established on each of the farms with the purpose of deciding how the Fairtrade premium is used. All groups of workers, including temporary and seasonal workers are able to participate in the election process and composition of the Joint Body. In addition management is invited to participate so that workers can benefit from their expertise in areas such as project management.

A variety of projects has already been implemented using the Fairtrade premium received as a result of sales of Fairtrade flowers. In Kenya, community development projects include assistance to children who have been orphaned through HIV; bursaries for secondary school education of employees’ children as well as to employees and their dependants to enable them access education to tertiary institutions; funding a dispensary to bring health facilities closer to the community; drilling of boreholes in local villages to supply water; setting up a mill so that subsidised maize is available for both workers and the wider community to buy at 15% below the market price; purchase of equipment for farm crèches and the purchase of books, desks and chairs and repair of windows at local schools.

There are over 10,000 workers currently employed on Fairtrade certified flower farms who, along with their dependents, will benefit directly from Fairtrade certification. It has been suggested that for every worker employed there are up to seven dependents.

Fairtrade flowers in the UK currently come from 14 certified flower farms in Kenya, Sri Lanka, Ecuador and Colombia

-Ends-
For more information please contact Eileen Maybin or Martine Julseth at the Fairtrade Foundation at eileen.maybin@fairtrade.org.uk ; or martine.julseth@fairtrade.org.uk; or call 020 7440 7695/07770 957 451

Notes to Editors

British consumers spend an estimated £28 each every year on flowers, contributing to a retail market worth £2.2bn in the UK (Flowers & Plants Association)
85% of flowers are imported into the UK, of which about 20% come from countries outside the European Union
Flowers carrying the FAIRTRADE Mark have met the internationally agreed Fairtrade standards covering social, environmental and economic development
Every product that carries the FAIRTRADE Mark requires a UK licensee to have overall responsibility for compliance with Fairtrade standards. The full list of Fairtrade flower licensees is: Bos Brothers BV; Flamingo Flowers Ltd; Florimex (UK) Ltd; Intergreen BV; J&E Page Distributors Ltd; Moyses Stevens Ltd; Southern Glasshouse Produce Ltd; Sunking Flowers Ltd; World Flowers Ltd
Fairtrade production standards encourage sustainable agriculture and protection of the environment as they are essential components of a sustainable business. The Fairtrade premium, the payment that the producer group receives in addition to the Fairtrade price and which must be invested in community development, is often invested in environmental projects such as planting trees.
There are now over 3,000 Fairtrade certified products from coffee to cotton wool. For a complete list see www.fairtrade.org.uk