In the News

Local view: Wake up and smell the facts about roses

Duluth News Tribune
02/13/2008

Excerpt from article: 

Last November, Lydia Lopez, a flower worker from Colombia, visited Duluth to talk about the cut-flower industry. Her visit elicited many questions: Is it time we give serious attention to where cut flowers come from? Who pays the real price for their availability? Should we add flowers to the human-rights conscious consumer list of Fair Trade coffee, chocolate, bananas and T-shirts?

US Unionists Alarmed by Colombia Woes

Associated Press
02/13/2008

By Frank Bajak

A delegation of visiting U.S. union leaders expressed alarm Wednesday at what its members called a steady erosion of labor rights in the world's deadliest country for organized labor.

Citing continued killings and threats against trade unionists in Colombia, Democratic leaders in the U.S. Congress have refused to approve a free trade agreement that the Bush administration signed with Colombia in 2006.

Disney case highlights China supply chain pitfalls

Reuters
02/12/2008

SHENZHEN, China (Reuters) - In his dim two-room flat, Huang Renzhong showed a visitor a Mickey Mouse statuette and explained how creating Disney figurines during 15-hour work days in a grim factory led to a $90,000 lawsuit.

The circumstances surrounding the case Huang filed with four colleagues last year suggest that firms such as the Walt Disney Co that outsource production to licensees are more exposed to poor labor practices than companies with more direct control over their supply chains, despite concerted efforts to stamp out labor violations.

Budding Movement

Plenty Magazine
02/12/2008

When Ecuadorian flower farmer Esteban Chiriboga made the decision in 1997 to adopt environmentally friendly practices, there was no playbook to tell him what to do. If he stopped using fungicides, what would prevent unsightly mold from forming on the petals? Without insecticides, how would he keep aphids from swarming in the hoophouse? And if he had to give up chemical fertilizers, could he guarantee that his roses would be ready to ship by Valentine’s Day?

Make Sure Your Valentine’s Roses Are Green

Berkeley Daily Planet
02/12/2008

It’s February 14 and you’ve just handed your sweetie a gorgeous bouquet of roses. Tears spring to her eyes and her cheeks begin to flush bright red. But wait: Is this love or just an allergic reaction?
Valentine’s Day is a time for flowers, chocolates and the occasional diamond. But each of these love-gifts can come with curses. Chocolates can involve child labor, smuggled gems can support rebel armies (proof that diamonds truly are a guerilla’s best friend), and flowers can arrive perfumed with pesticides.

Cavite workers center gets peace award in South Korea

Philippine Daily Inquirer
02/12/2008

Excerpt from article:

MANILA, Philippines – The Workers Assistance Center, a militant group advocating the protection of laborers’ rights, has been awarded the 2008 Justice and Peace Award by the Tji Hak-soon Justice and Peace Foundation (THSJPF) based in South Korea.

“The award is a fitting tribute to the more than 12 years of WAC’s unwavering advocacy for the rights and welfare of the Filipino working class,” Bishop Ephraim S. Fajutagana of the Philippine Independent Church and WAC chair, said in a press statement sent to the Inquirer.

The ethical cocoa confusion

Confectionary News
02/11/2008

By Charlotte Eyre

...According to a 2007 UK Department for Environment, Rural and Food affairs (DEFRA), more than half of consumers in the country said that they try not to buy products whose ethics they disagree with. A slightly smaller proportion, 45 per cent, said they would be prepared to pay more for ethically-sourced food.

Cocoa bean harvest puts kids at risk despite chocolate makers' efforts

The Canadian Press
02/10/2008

Excerpt from article:

...Even as the chocolate industry is trying to curb unsavoury cocoa-farming practices in Ivory Coast and Ghana, Canadian aid workers, among others, are disappointed in the industry's snail's pace at dealing with the issue.... 

He noted chocolate bars have cost around a dollar since the '80s.

"This ongoing low price is really an important part of what is causing some of the difficulties for the farmers and for their communities," he said, adding that most people would pay more for chocolate if they knew it would trickle down to the farmers.

Where the rose grows

Lexington Herald-Ledger
02/09/2008

Excerpt from article:

A big, beautiful bouquet of red roses is the quintessential gift that says "I love you" to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

And despite the cold weather and the fact that there's not a single rose blooming in Lexington right now, all you need to do is go to your local florist or supermarket, select the roses and buy them.

Jordan Takes Steps to Improve Labor Conditions

Women's Wear Daily
02/08/2008

WASHINGTON — Jordan's labor minister, seeking to reassure U.S. apparel buyers and the public that his government has taken steps to eradicate violations in the garment industry, outlined a five-year monitoring program Thursday intended to eliminate abusive factories.

Bassem Al-Salem told reporters that his government signed an agreement with representatives from the International Labor Organization and International Finance Corporation in Oman on Sunday, paving the way for the launch of a voluntary apparel monitoring/inspection program in May.

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