Valentine's Day Flower Campaign
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Some supermarkets are part of the Ethical Trading Initiative. What is this?
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is an alliance of companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade union organisations that aim to improve condtions for workers in their supply chains. By being a member of the ETI a company is committing to improving labour standards within their supply chain. See the ETI website for more details.
Q. Should we boycott flowers?
No, flower production in East Africa and other countries is an important foreign exchange earner and employment opportunity. Instead we are asking consumers to engage with supermarkets to make it clear that they do not want to buy flowers grown in poor working conditions and that they want the supermarket to work with their existing suppliers to improve the working situation. Supermarkets WILL LISTEN to consumers, because consumer confidence is vital for their business.
Q. Where can we get ethical flowers from?
Unfortunately at this time there is no such thing as an ethical flower; that is why we are running this campaign and urging consumers to make their feelings known to supermarkets.
Q. Are flowers more ethical bought from florists?
There isn't a guarantee that flowers bought from florists are more ethical, although it is always good to support small or local business. Our campaign focuses on supermarkets as they have a large market share of the flower industry in the UK, therefore they have more leverage for effecting change.