Why do we only use British flowers?
When I started in 2018 I had to decide what I would do when I didn’t have my flowers to sell, mainly from November to April. I did some research to understand how the international flower industry worked, research that at the time wasn't easy to come across.
For me the scientific research about residual chemicals found on cut flowers was the reason why I didn't want to handle imports. Carcinogenic products, banned in the EU, were found on the hands of florists, after handling imported flowers. Further research found trace chemicals in their urine. These are on flowers you put in your homes. I don't want to put myself at risk, or my customers, but I also don't want the people growing these flowers - outside of the EU's health and safety and employment regulations - to be harmed either.
The health implications for workers, with little safety net, is horrendous. I understand that cut flowers are a major export and important to the GDP of some countries, but I also know that it only takes a pandemic or rising fuel prices to negatively impact these producers. Exporting luxury perishables may be seen as a good short-term fit, but in the longer term, with water scarcity and rising temperatures, it is not sustainable.
Research into the carbon footprint of cut flowers shows that imported flowers are also responsible for high levels of carbon dioxide emissions. I mean, LAVISH levels! A bouquet of imported flowers equals the carbon emissions of a short haul flight! To think that the vast majority of flowers sold in this country accumulate this level of emissions is INSANE!
British grown flowers provide a compromise; Larger commercial farms supply us with a variety of cut flowers when we don't have any. We buy direct from each region to reduce road miles, often direct from the farms. They use chemicals and have a higher carbon footprint than our flowers, so it is a compromise, but one that I am comfortable with while we develop our own winter flowers. Indeed their scale of production is vital to reduce the UK's overall reliance on imported flowers, and so I'm very proud to only champion 'grown not flown' flowers here.
-Harriet x
