Emerald Management Review:
Exploring the dilemma of local sourcing versus international development - the case of the flower industry

Abstract:

Purpose - To explore the effects of the 'buy local' initiative on the cut flower industry.

Design/methodology/approach - Divides corporate social responsibility (CSR) into economic, environmental and social dimensions, contends that emphasis on one dimension can negatively impact the others, and profiles the Fairtrade initiative, the global cut flower industry, and the concepts of food-miles and carbon footprint. Suggests that consumers, policy-makers and businesses require information regarding both the degree of environmental harm, and the degree of development gain, in growing countries caused by their decisions, outlines social injustice in, development benefits of, and environmental damage caused by, Kenyan flower farms, and discusses quantification of both the benefits and harm of transporting flowers from southern hemisphere farms to northern hemisphere markets, asserting that the food-miles measure does not reveal the complex trade-offs between the CSR dimensions. Points out that 'buy local' initiatives damage the economies of flower growing countries, shows, using carbon dioxide emission per capita, the difference between Africa's and the UK's emissions, observes that flowers grown in Africa may have a lower carbon footprint that flowers grown in heated European greenhouses in winter, and debates the impacts and accuracy of several proposed labelling schemes, maintaining that these schemes cannot convey to consumers the full impacts of their purchasing decisions. Identifies, and calls for further research into, a range of industry-specific and general issues pertaining to trade-offs between environmental, social and economic development dimensions.

Originality/value - Interesting paper with issues that probably apply to other industries and consumer goods.

Keywords:

Article Type:

Case study

Reference:

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