Quebec florists and consumers were recently treated to a very graphic television portrayal of some of the environmental and social horrors of the Ecuadorian floriculture industry. The program, which aired on Radio Canada’s “Zone Libre” at the end of January, featured a scathing reportage of shocking environmental practices and social injustices of some commercial rose farms in Ecuador. With images of pregnant workers being exposed to dangerous pesticides, polluted lakes and rivers surrounding the rose greenhouses, workers attempts to unionise being quashed and cows being fed pesticide laden rose refuse, the result was quite shocking. Any florist who saw this program would honestly wonder whether any of their customers would ever buy their imported roses ever again!

While this program was an eye opener to many, what the programs producers failed to mention were the significant efforts being made by many farms in both Ecuador and Colombia to promote ecologically sound and socially conscious flower production practices.

This movement, which began in Germany, was a result of florists, floral wholesalers and human rights organisations in that country demanding that their imported flowers be certified ecologically “friendly” in an effort to satisfy an increasingly eco-conscious clientele. The “Flower Label Program” or “FLP” was formed in 1998 and today over 700 florists in the German marketplace proudly display their logo on a variety of point of purchase materials including posters, sleeves, vases and flyers. The FLP’s slogan is “Flowers produced in a way which cares for mankind and the environment”.

The FLP provides strict guidelines for socially and environmentally responsible production of cut flowers. Farms wishing to be FLP certified must comply with rigid regulations ranging from sustainable farming practices and proper water and waste management to safe and controlled use of pesticides and maintenance of strict labour and social standards.

The basic principles of their “code of conduct” include the following issues:

- Freedom of association (the freedom for workers to form trade unions)

- Prohibition of child labour and forced labour

- Proper employment contracts and above-average social and working conditions

- Health safeguards and a secure working environment

- Responsible attitude towards natural resources and the environment

- Non-use of toxic pesticides and chemicals

Presently, there are 31 farms in Ecuador with FLP accreditation and others continue to work towards achieving this difficult to obtain certification. The Colombian flower growers in conjunction with the Asocoflores floral association have developed a similar program under the name of “Florverde” and many farms in both countries have also recently obtained ISO –14001 environmental accreditation from the Swiss based International Standards Organisation.

Another aspect of the Ecuadorian floral industry that the Radio Canada broadcast failed to touch on was the fact that international floriculture does many good things for the local economy in developing countries. Many farms provide stable employment, training, healthcare, day-care, sporting events, food co-ops and other services that are not provided by the state in these countries.

While there clearly are serious environmental and social issues to contend with in the production of cut flowers in Latin America, it is also important to understand that some flower producers are working hard to correct these problems.