Counting the Ways Valentine’s Day is Not ‘Green’

An eco-unfriendly gift. iStock

Maybe it’s time to show nature a little more love on Valentine’s Day. With increased scrutiny of the environmental footprint of human activities, there are many ways in which the traditional ways of celebrating the holiday of love do not benefit the environment.

Valentine’s Day’s Eco-Footprint:

• Last year (2025), consumers in the UK were expected to spend £1.37 billion ($1.6 billion) on Valentine’s Day.

• Valentine’s Day has the highest percentage of flowers purchased per holiday in the US. About 80% of them are imported, mostly from Colombia and Ecuador, where high amounts of pesticides, fertilizers, and water are used to grow them. 

• In 2024, the US spent an estimated $2.6 billion on Valentine’s Day flowers—the majority of them roses. 

• Global cut flower sales for Valentine’s are greater than $5 billion. 

• According to an article in Green Horizons, an online publication of All-Ireland Sustainability, it is estimated that 1.3 billion greeting cards are purchased in the UK each year, with only a fraction recycled.

• An estimated 145 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, many of which end up in landfills. Cards with glitter, foil, or plastic embellishments cannot be recycled.

• Despite a steady decrease in the number of Americans celebrating Valentine’s Day—just 54.5% on average over the past 13 years—the average person spent $23.75 on Valentine cards over the past 11 years.

• Americans consume 58 million pounds of chocolate each year over the week of Valentine's Day.

• Producing a pound of chocolate takes over 1,180 gallons of water.

• A Florida university institute suggests giving locally sourced plants and flowers; organic fair-trade chocolates; sending digital greeting cards; and going for walks, making homemade dinners, or volunteering together as environmentally friendly Valentine’s Day traditions.