Flowers need a lot of fresh water to grow. For example, one hectare of rose production in Ecuador consumes between 10.000 and 30.000 litre per year. In Kenya, many large flower farms are located around the Lake Naivasha which is an internationally protected wetland. Scientists observe the drop of the water level which affects peasants and pastoralists who live in this area.

As flower production consumes a lot of fresh water it also produces a lot of sewage which is contaminated by pesticides. In many cases waste water is not treated and pollutes soils, rivers, lakes and in the long run even ground water.