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Corporate Social Responsibility
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1.28.2008 - 05:05pm ET
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Revolution Began with Love and Flowers
2008 Valentine’s Predicted "Eco-Tipping Point" for $21 Billion U.S. floral market
(CSRwire) SAN FRANCISCO - January 28, 2008 – When Gerald Prolman fell
head-over-heels in love with French Jazz singer Raquel Bitton, he used
magnificent floral bouquets to win her heart. He went on to create
something entirely unexpected: an eco-floral revolution worth hundreds of
millions of dollars.
Spending countless hours in florist shops, Prolman had discovered that,
behind the beautiful blooms, lay a darker reality: flowers are typically
grown with artillery of chemicals that can negatively effect the
environment, the farm workers who handle the flowers, the wildlife, and
the ecology.
Prolman – who had already helped build what has become the multi-billion
dollar organic produce sector – set his sights on converting the entire
floral industry towards stringent ecological standards. No small vision,
for a guy who, just a few years earlier, barely knew a gardenia from a
gerbera daisy.
Today, as the CEO of Organic Style Ltd and its flagship floral brand,
Organic Bouquet, Prolman is widely considered the pioneer of what has
turned into a market sector worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Organically-grown flowers are one of the fastest growing segments of the
organic market. In 2008, Organic Style expects to ship more than 20
million stems of organic and eco-certified roses, with an additional $100
million dollars worth of sustainably-grown flowers in the pipeline.
Prolman is joined by Adrian Bellamy, who serves as chairman of the board
of Organic Style Ltd. Bellamy also holds positions as chairman of the Body
Shop (a division of L'Oreal), chairman of Reckitt Benckiser PLC, and is a
director on the boards of the Gap and Williams-Sonoma. Together with their
team, they envision the day when all agricultural products are grown and
harvested responsibly.
"By 2015, you won't be able to purchase a non-certified sustainable flower
in the United States," predicts Prolman. "Public consciousness about
environmental issues is at an all-time high, and never before has there
been such a powerful alignment between the growers, marketers and
consumers."
According to the Natural Marketing Institute, 35 million Americans, or
approximately 16 percent of the adult population spend nearly $209 billion
for goods and services focused on health, the environment, social justice,
personal development and sustainable living.
Prolman has been busy, very busy. A tireless and often sleep-deprived
entrepreneur, he has initiated multiple projects that have put 'green'
flowers on the map, including: conceiving the need for an initiating
Veriflora, a sustainable certification that now boasts more
than 45 farmers and expects to certify more than one billion stems in
2008; hosting an international floral symposium in conjunction with the
United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) World Environment Day;
producing a musical tribute to the environment by world-famous Gospel
singers; created the first eco-luxury online retailer www.OrganicStyle.com; and, later
this week, re-launching Organic Style magazine, which his
company purchased from Rodale Publishing in 2007.
As a floral innovator, Prolman introduced the 6' high World's Tallest
Roses – which made a huge splash when Christina Aguilera presented them
to Ellen DeGeneres on national TV in 2007; honored Civil Rights hero Rosa
Parks by naming a rose after her; launched the first collection of
organically grown fragrant roses; and donated more than $250,000 to more
than forty-five leading environmental, human rights and animal welfare
non-profit organizations.
As for Raquel Bitton, she's performed to sold-out crowds at Carnegie Hall,
recorded seven albums, starred in a major film, raised two
environmental-activist children, been married to Prolman for 21 years, and
continues to be amorously courted with fresh, organically-grown roses
every week.
Eco Floral Certifications at a Glance:
Organic is defined and regulated by the USDA. Organic is an
ecological farming system that builds rich, fertile soil and uses natural
defense mechanisms to combat pests and plant diseases.
Sustainable standards address the farm management practices
relating to the environment, the farm workers and the ecology of the farm.
Verfiflora is America's first Green Label certification
standard for the floral industry.
Biodynamic is a well respected agricultural practice and the oldest
sustainable system in the Western world. The biodynamic system views the
farm as a self-sustaining organism within the surrounding ecosystem. It
emphasizes animals as part of the ecosystem and takes into account the
soil, earth, atmosphere, and cosmos.
Valentine’s Day and Floral Stats:
214 million (nearly 18 million dozen) roses are being grown for
Valentine's Day sales in the U.S.
In 2008, Veriflora – the leading sustainable flower certification
– will certify more than 1 billion stems.
Valentine's Day is the #1 in holiday flower sales, accounting for 36%
of sales transactions, and 40% of dollar volume.
About Organic Style Ltd.:
Organic Style Ltd. (www.OrganicStyle.com) is an online
eco-boutique for people seeking inspiring products that uphold the
well-being of the planet and humankind. Their flagship floral brand, www.OrganicBouquet.com, is widely
recognized as America's pioneer of organic and eco-flowers.
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