The Great Valentine’s Day Swindle
Happy Valentine’s Day for tomorrow.
Spoiler alert: I am not being a total party pooper and dismissing Valentine’s Day altogether. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to celebrate love and romance. I am, however, putting a mini-magnifier on the mass marketing campaign, because we spend a shed-load of money in the UK for this one day and much of it is spent on unsustainable options.
For example, in 2019 £261 million was spent on flowers. A large proportion of those will have been imported roses, grown in artificially regulated conditions in the Netherlands or shipped, refrigerated, from half way around the world. It may have escaped your attention, but roses do not grow in the UK in February. I’m not being entirely sarcastic here, maybe you have no idea what grows when, or how your dozen red roses arrive in the UK market place. Sadly, there’s not much romantic about the 570 tonnes of roses that are imported into the UK each year just for Valentine’s Day. When you consider the carbon emissions - not only from the air freight- from water use, pesticides (200kg per hectare) and of course the non-recyclable packaging, the carbon footprint of a single bouquet seriously racks up. Factor in the horrendous statistic that up to 45 per cent of cut flowers are spoiled and wasted before they even reach the customer, then it must make us wonder if there isn’t something better to demonstrate love and romance. That sort of impact isn’t showing a great deal of love for the planet!
So, what are the alternatives if your romantic streak demands flowers? You could try Flowers from the Farm - the UK trade association promoting a financially and environmentally sustainable local cut flower industry. There are growers from the tip of the country to the top and although there’s not a great deal to see in domestic gardens at this time of year, you can be sure that these local, sustainable businesses will have you covered; from daffodils to dried flowers, there will be someone local to you, who will be able to cater for your taste and budget. If you’re still dead set on roses, then why not buy a gift that will last years rather than days and source a rose bush instead? A bareroot rose is ideal to plant out now and will bring joy for years to come. There might be one with your partner’s name, or you could choose one by colour. If you don’t have garden space, there are also roses suitable for containers.
Chocolates are probably the next most popular Valentine’s Day gift at a massive £85 million spend in 2019 (the last figures I could access) Mondelēz (the owners of Cadbury’s and Green’s) Nestlé and Mars are the biggest players in the UK confectionery market and take around 90% of the share between them. Despite pledging decades ago to stop using child labour, according to the Washington Post and others, Nestle and Mars still buy most of their chocolate from The Ivory Cost, where children work on most of the Cocoa farms. Children as young as 10 cross the border from impoverished Burkina Faso, hoping for a better life and end up with back ache and hungry bellies, working as virtual slaves. The major chocolate manufacturers admit that they cannot trace where large quantities of their cocoa comes from, so are unable to guarantee it is child labour free. There’s nothing romantic about sweating in sweltering heat with machetes to harvest cocoa. Some efforts were made by Cadbury’s to buy certified fair trade cocoa, but there are issues with a system where the buyers require inspectors to inspect only 10% of the farms annually. Cadbury’s switched away from Fair Trade chocolate in 2016 to pursue its own sustainability programme, Cocoa Life, but this is even less rigorously administered.
The Fairtrade organisation itself says that its chocolate meets rigorous social environmental and economic standards. Farmers are paid at a fair going rate, which covers costs and provides a living income, rather than a changeable market price. On average cocoa farmers earn 6% of the final price of a chocolate bar, which often leaves them in poverty. The very least we can do is consider buying fairtrade chocolates for Valentine’s. Even a cursory look at chocolate production will highlight its less than romantic credentials. There are many more brands carrying the Fairtrade logo now including the Coop, Divine and Cocoa Loco, among others. Some independent makers use single origin chocolate and control the process from bean to bar, so it’s worth seeking them out, especially for special occasions. I’ve listed a ‘bean to bar’ directory at the end of this article to help you source local independent chocolate makers, but do check their buying practices to make sure they meet your own ethical standards. You can also check local delis and markets, where you can often speak to producers directly and confirm their buying practices.
Clothing - including lingerie - and jewellery are also big spend items when it comes to Valentine’s Day. I could certainly sour your appetite for both industries by delving into the manufacturer and retail practices which see millions of pounds worth of clothes thrown away annually and ‘dirty’ gold and silver bought for jewellery making. Much of the problem of “dirty gold” is in the supply chains of the large refineries which often involves artisanal and small-scale mining, commonly employing poor miners who are unable to invest in cleaner methods and practices. So called ‘Conflict’ gold is another issue, where predominantly Sudanese mines are controlled by Militia groups who are responsible for flagrant human rights abuses. The mass production of clothes and jewellery does not paint a pretty romantic picture.
If you are keen to purchase clothes, check out sustainable brands who make items which are more likely to last. Yes, they are more expensive, but for a reason. Try UK brands who manufacture in this country, or artisan makers who create unique knitwear. Some commercial brands even have return and reuse policies these days - when clothing reaches the end of its natural life, or needs repairing.
Jewellery can be difficult to buy for someone else, with tastes and sizes creating potential minefields. There are plenty of crafters and independent jewellers nationwide who can make something bespoke. Lots of people use recycled metals or can certify conflict free stones and precious metals. Buying second hand is also a good option and although you may not be able to guarantee the provenance of the piece, at least no new atrocity has been committed in the supply of it.
Both these industries have horrible histories and unsustainable practices and this article couldn’t hope to do the subject justice, but please do your own research and seek out small, independent makers and sustainable high street brands whose ethos you can get behind. Look behind the veneer and the marketing to find truly unique and ethical gifts that send a genuine message of love for the people who make the items and the planet that provides the raw materials.
I’m not suggesting you give up romantic gestures or don’t celebrate - if that’s what you like to do - I’m simply encouraging all of us to look beyond the hype and do something that doesn’t exploit people or resources. Maybe make your own card, or buy one from a local crafter. We spent £62 million on Valentine cards in 2019 and most of that went to fat-cat commerce. Spending money locally keeps more money in the local community and creates more jobs, compared with spending it in supermarkets and high street brands. You don’t even have to spend anything. How about doing something together rather than buying a gift, or consumables? A day out somewhere nice, an activity like a picnic or an adventure that suits your preferences and budget. The possibilities are endless, limited only by our imaginations. Your partner probably won’t remember what you bought them for Valentine’s Day in 6 months time, but you’ll both remember something you did together: a day out or a night in - anything your imagination can conjure. You don’t even have to do it on Valentine’s Day.
The origins of Valentine’s Day are murky and most of us have no clue why we celebrate. The day has been celebrated since the 1500’s and cards have been sent since the 1800’s, but there’s no doubt that today’s love fest is a mass market production designed to part us with our pennies and make millions for the big players. It’s a celebration that could do with an overhaul in my opinion. Resource hungry, with a lot of tat manufactured, that then gets thrown away in short order. It gets big businesses heart pumping for sure, but your heart might be racing with the price tag.
I’m hoping I can persuade you to do something different this year for Valentine’s Day - an act of kindness, an act of love - a gift doesn’t have to be material to matter. Your other half may appreciate more regular romantic gestures than a single day in the year that can see the price of roses and chocolates inflated by 50%. Think of the impact of all that money if we put it to better use……
The Bean to Bar Directory
https://www.jenniferearle.com/british-and-irish-bean-to-bar-chocolate-directory
The Fairtrade Foundation
Article listing Ethical Clothing Brands
Excellent article, Valentines Day like so many other days is totally over commercialised nowadays.
Absolutely brilliant article. Well written. Totally agree with all you have said. Everyday is Valentine's day, one day to say how much to love that person? That should be everyday. And shouldn't cost a penny.