Fair-trade flowers

Major florist FTD recently set the bar for other companies in the cut-flower industry when it kicked off its line of Fairtrade International-certified floral arrangements, a move taken by the company to show its commitment to labor rights, according to advocacy website Change.org.

The company’s website, FTD.com, now offers five different collections of fair-trade roses in a variety of color combinations. The options are marked with a fair-trade logo and a note promising that the farmers who grew those flowers were paid fair wages and worked in safe conditions.

About 80 percent of flowers sold in the U.S. are grown out of the country. FTD created the fair-trade line after nearly 10,000 Change.org members made the request in light of labor-rights issues that often surround the industry. The company also has plans to develop a supplier code of conduct and a website with information about where they get their flowers.