The Un-Romantic Truth of Valentine’s Day Flowers

Another Valentine’s Day is approaching, and this year consumers are expected to spend a staggering $2.3 billion U.S. dollars on flowers, an increase of $400,000 from 2019. Buying into fresh-cut flowers this Valentine’s Day will contribute to an even higher cost on the environment.

The flowers - most of which are roses - must endure a long journey before ending up at their final destination. Almost all of the roses sold in the United States are grown and shipped from Colombia and Ecuador, which are the world’s second and third-largest exporters of cut flowers. Transportation of these flowers begins by plane because roses are so delicate that they will wilt at temperatures over 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and cannot withstand being shipped large distances over sea. Three weeks leading up to the big day, hundreds of cargo planes (up to 30 per day out of Columbia alone) filled with over a million flowers each will make their way from South America to Miami, Florida. The International Council on Clean Transportation estimates that the flights during these three weeks of delivery alone emit about 360,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. 

Upon arrival in Miami, the flowers are loaded into refrigerated trucks and taken to warehouses in South Florida to be fashioned into bouquets wrapped in non-recyclable cellophane wrap. From here, they are then distributed across the United States in refrigerated trucks, which use up to 25% more fuel due to interior cooling systems compared to non-refrigerated trucks. Walmart and other large corporations are the top sellers of roses, buying and selling in huge quantities that local florists cannot compete with. Once flowers make their way to a distribution site, they are placed in a refrigerated display case, driven home, and thrown away, eventually ending up in a landfill (unless composted) where they will decay and emit methane.

Aside from embodied energy costs from transportation, large amounts of water are also required to grow flowers. Unlike the US, most of Europe flies in its flowers from Africa. In Kenya, cut flower production sucks up 45% of virtual water exports. Over half of the water extraction from Lake Naivasha in Kenya goes towards supplying water to flowers, which has led to a declining water level and pollution to the country’s fisheries. 

As flowers are not edible crops and lack requirements concerning pesticide residue, farmers extensively use agrochemicals across the industry since regulation is more lenient. In fact, an estimated 20% of chemicals that are used on flowers in developing countries are either banned or untested in the United States. 

There are several reasons why nearly all of our flowers are imported from South America. The American flower industry has declined 95% in just 27 years since the Andean Trade Preference Act was passed in 1991. This act was put in place under President George H.W. Bush’s administration to deter Colombians away from cocaine production and incentivize more legitimate parts of the economy. It eliminated duties on multiple exports from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, including a 6% import duty on roses from Colombia, effectively changing the game of the flower industry. The high altitudes and long sunshine makes Colombia the perfect place to grow flowers year round, solidifying their dominance of the market. Not to mention, labor costs are extremely low in Colombia: the minimum wage is less than $300 USD a month. Valentine’s Day now accounts for almost 20% of Colombia’s total annual revenue, and it exports over 6 billion flowers a year.

Flowers grown domestically simply cannot compete. When grown in the United States and Europe, production can actually be more unsustainable. Most flowers grown commercially in these countries come from greenhouses that use artificial lighting, heating and cooling. Even in California where temperatures are warm enough to grow, a winter freeze can easily require heaters to get the flowers to bloom in time for Valentine’s Day, which is not a problem encountered near the equator. 

So how should you get Valentine’s flowers this year? Flowers at big retailers marked as “Sustainable”, “Fair Trade”, or “Organic” are becoming increasingly popular, and some Colombian florals meet high Florverde-certified standards. Buying in-season, locally sourced blooms from small farmers is always a great option, which also supports native bee populations threatened by hive collapse (you can find them through LocalHarvest or Slow Flowers). Moreover, native flowers do not need artificial greenhouses or growing conditions to naturally thrive.