A Kenyan florists arranging roses for Valentine's Day
© AFP/File Simon MainaLONDON (AFP) - The flower industry has become the latest front in the ethical consumerism debate, with Britain's International Development Minister Hilary Benn saying African flowers were much the more environmentally friendly.
Normally in the "food miles" debate, environmentally-conscious shoppers are urged to buy products from local producers rather than ones flown in from abroad or trucked across long distances due to the amount of carbon dioxide produced in doing so.
"It's better if you grow your own flowers or buy local," a Friends of the Earth spokesman told AFP.
"But in general, it is always a good practice to check where it comes from," he added.
However, a study by north London's Cranfield University for supermarket chain Sainsbury's and World Flowers, one of Britain's market leaders in the direct supply of cut flowers, found otherwise.
It found that 6,000 kilogrammes of CO2 was released per batch from Kenya, as opposed to 35,000 kilogrammes from the Netherlands -- including air freight.
This was because the Kenyan flowers were grown in natural light rather than under artificial light in heated greenhouses.
Speaking to an international sustainable food conference in London, Benn said: "People want to buy ethically and do their bit for climate change, but often don't realise that they can support developing countries and reduce carbon emissions.
"So, this Valentine's Day, you can be a romantic, reduce your environmental impact and help make poverty history. This is about social justice and making it easier, not harder, for African people to make a decent living."
Britain is one of the world's biggest importers of flowers, with almost a third of those coming from Kenya.
In the Netherlands, 99 percent of the emissions were caused by producing the roses, compared to 7.3 percent in Kenya, the Cranfield study said.
In contrast, 91 percent of the emissions caused by the Kenyan roses were accounted for by the 4,000-mile (6,500-kilometres) journey to Britain, compared with less than one percent for the Netherlands.
©AFP