Flowers embody the emotions and can have a very beneficial impact on people. They are sent to communicate their feelings to those closest. Would not it be better if people could buy flowers confidently sustainable, ethical way to communicate your feelings? After all, the ethical commitment is an emotion like that! However, the purchase of flower development, ethics is a niche activity in the UK, with only a handful of products that provide the florist that is truly ethical sources.
First, some numbers:
The total market for cut flowers and house plants in the United Kingdom is estimated at £ 2.2 billion and is expected to exceed 3 billion pounds in 2011. Despite the incursion of mutiple alternatives including gifts, chocolates and wine, people are still saying it with flowers, but the UK lags behind the rest of Europe in per capita annual spend on flowers.
There is an eternal debate on industry standards for flowers, as consumers have historically been faced with confusing symbols of ethical quality. The Kenya Flower Council which represents many of the imports into the United Kingdom, is governed by the Fair Trade, which regulates the code of conduct for more than 1,000 farms in Kenya, although only about 25 large farms supply over 75% of Kenya's flower exports. Since its introduction in the flower industry in 1999, Fair Trade has done an excellent job of supporting more than 10,000 workers in developing countries, to establish ethical standards to improve working environments. However, in the intervening years the industry has grown considerably and the competitive landscape has evolved. In particular, fair trade initiatives tend to work better in the highly fragmented industry, such as fruits and vegetables, which are filled with many small producers, but not so well in more established industries, like the flower industry. This is because fair trade initiatives organizations can benefit disproportionately larger, effectively undermining the development of small producers in the competitive environment.
Plants Flowers Good Good (PFC) is a European initiative that addresses historic shortcomings by creating a level playing field for all producers by establishing uniform standards and global. One of the unique characteristics of the FFP is its emphasis on the audit of the supply chain to regulate pesticide use, land, energy and environment work. It also offers great flexibility to florists to supply their products either flower auctions or directly through producers' compliance with FFP. The latter method ensures fresher produce flowers, waste reduction and a happy customer (key!). In the longer term aim is to unify all FFP existing rules to make it easier for producers, traders and consumers.
As in any free market, no demonstrable consumer demand after that it will stimulate growth in supply. If no one wants FFP-accredited flowers, then you simply will not grow. It is estimated that 18.1 million Fair Trade stems sold in the United Kingdom in 2005, it is also clear that there are people willing to buy the flowers in an ethical manner. The challenge for FFP is to enter the national consciousness when fair trade is the de facto standard in the minds of most people. One of the things that most people want to hear is that FFP accredited flowers typically cost more than flowers FFP can not, so a good egg does not have to make a dent in your pocket as well!
October 01, 2011, 09:41:44 AM