Did your mom receive a box of chocolates today? Or Maybe a dozen roses?

Both of these products are primarily grown and processed outside of the U.S., and both are available to purchase fair-trade. However, most people still opt for the cheaper option, and to buy gifts (flowers especially) for loved ones that were produced in conditions unbeknown to the consumer. Being part of the low income bracket myself, I understand thoroughly why it can be difficult to choose the higher-priced item no matter what the circumstance. Even if I am rigidly aware of a human rights conflict sleeping in the product, I still feel pulled towards the cheaper counterpart. As do most people.

Products marked with the fair trade symbol seemingly sell best when consumers are hyper informed of the working conditions laborers endure while manufacturing the good being bought (i.e. chocolate, coffee) or when they are cheap to buy, even if fairly traded (i.e. bananas). Flowers are one of those luxury items that just falls shy of the spotlight, and it’s a shame.

U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project (USLEAP) works diligently to support Colombian flower workers, and has gathered piles of useful information regarding the gendered injustices within the flower industry:

Sixty percent of cut-flowers that enter the U.S. come from Colombia. About 110,000 flower workers are employed in Colombia, most of whom are women; almost a third are single mothers. An industry guidebook written in 1993 in collaboration with Colombian banks highlights these aspects promoting Colombia among investors stating:“There is a ready supply of cheap female labor [emphasis added] for sorting and packing the flowers.”

The number of hours worked daily depends on the worker’s department. During the high season, workers report working 14 or 15-hour days. They begin work at 6:15 a.m. and often stay until 10 or 11 p.m. At the end of the day the workers return home in buses, then start all over again the next day.

So, if you haven’t already picked up a gift for your mom, try to keep mothers everywhere in mind when shopping today. Your local Wholefoods may have a small selection of “whole-trade guaranteed” blooms to pick from, it is impossible to decipher this term from their website, and the store manager wasn’t much help either.

If you’ve already scored a present, USLEAP has a great gift idea for next year. When you make a $35 donation ($20 student or low income) to their Flower Worker Economic Justice Project, they’ll send a card to the mother of your choice with a personalized message inside, letting her know that you made a donation in her honor. My mom loved it.