News


Floriculture Sustainability Initiative

AIPH joins forces with other frontrunners in the supply chain towards a more sustainable floriculture sector.

In recent years the floriculture sector has developed and increased empowerment of civil stakeholders has pushed forward the need for transparency of the supply chain and clarity on sustainability practises.

As a response, AIPH and other industry front runners have joined forces since 2013 in the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI), a voluntary initiative lead by the sector with participation of all stakeholders to drive sustainable improvement in a pre-competitive way and at international level.

All FSI members share the ambition of having 90% of their internationally traded flowers sustainably produced by 2020. To reach this ambition, FSI offers an integrated combination of tools and support to its members.

For FSI members, the key to unlocking mainstream sustainability is 1) to create a common language from grower to retail; 2) to create a structure where current and future sustainability issues can be tackled cooperatively; and 3) to track progress and make sure new goals are continuously set.

  1. The FSI Equivalency Tool is an online portal used by FSI members to have a fact-based discussion on the standards applicable to flowers & plants and to self-assess their performance. It currently includes 19 standards and labels, covering the main floriculture production areas. Users can log in to the online tool to identify the relevant standards, compare information through tables and charts, and run self-assessments of their practices against standards requirements in just a few clicks! AIPH and its members can use the FSI Equivalency Tool to learn about potential certification costs & benefits; as a guidance on how to comply with requirements; or to evaluate their progress or additional efforts needed to be in compliance.
  2. The FSI projects on Key topics are led by FSI members with funding from IDH the Sustainable Trade Initiative. They focus on at least one of the four topics identified with important sustainability issues where additional action and innovation is needed. Results of the projects are shared with all FSI members and promoted for large scale implementation.
  3. The FSI ambition will position the floriculture as a leading sector, for an ever-more prosperous industry. Until 2020, volumes of flowers and plants sustainably sourced and traded by FSI members will be measured based on the FSI basket of responsible sources. Currently 11 standards have been identified in the FSI basket by using internationally recognized reference levels and have been (or are in the process of being) benchmarked against the G.A.P. and GSCP.

Rachel Wakefield

Communications Executive and Associate Editor
United Kingdom

rachel.wakefield@aiph.org