Who doesn’t love to receive a bouquet of flowers? But there are a lot of ethical question marks: Where are the flowers grown, and how? What transportation and packaging are used? Are the growers treated fairly?
PHOTOGRAPH: ELLE HUGHES/PEXELS
For centuries, the Netherlands has been at the heart of the global flower trade. Around 90 per cent of cut flowers in the UK are imported, and 80 per cent arrive via the Netherlands - think of it as the centre of fresh blooms - it produces flowers and is also a stopover for those grown in countries such as Ecuador, Colombia, Malaysia, China and Ethiopia. Kenya, for example, produces a third of all roses sold in Europe.*