The Flower Label Program (FLP) certification scheme has been successfully benchmarked with the Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) standard. With immediate effect, all FLP-certified producers can now market their produce also under the FFP-consumer label. The FLP producers can extend the FFP assortment at short notice. Due to the recent increase of FFP points of sale in Europe, these flowers will be more than welcome. At the same time, FLP is the first consumer label which enables it’s growers to market as well under FFP.

The standards of FLP, its audit principles and its checklist comply with the FFP benchmark document. To market their produce as well under FFP the actual 38 FLP growers, coming mainly from Ecuador and Germany, only have to register their company with FFP. “With this benchmark FLP has opened additional marketing channels for its certified producers,” explains Gertrud Falk, president of FLP. The growing assortment of FFP cut flowers and plants is awaited eagerly by the international trade. “With this new approved certification program, the FFP ‘umbrella’ consumer label in the meantime works together with 6 certification programs, equal to the FFP standard” says Regina Dinkla, executive manager of FFP.

Certifications meeting the FFP standard
The FFP standard is based on the ICC (the International Code of Conduct of social responsible and environmental friendly flower production) and environmentally equal to MPS-A. Worldwide there are several certification programs focussing on sustainable aspects. Fair Flowers Fair Plants’ aim is to have a general consumer label for different b-to-b certifications. Over the past years various certification programs have been compared to the FFP standard and in the meantime accepted as approved certification schemes for FFP participation.
These are: MPS Socially Qualified, Fiore Giusto, Kenya Flower Council Silver Code of Practice, Forest Garden Products, Control Union Fair Choice and Flower Label Program.

Flower Label Program
FLP has been the first label implementing the ICC. Being a multi-stakeholder association, FLP’s strength is the close contact to it’s producers, traders and flower consumers. Besides certification and marketing, FLP offers workers trainings and has recently published material on workers’ rights for all workers of it’s Ecuadorian farms.

Source: FFP

ProVerde is pleased to announce a new publication for the Trade for Development Centre:
“The European Market for Fair and Sustainable Flowers and Plants”

Given the importance of market transparency for producers aiming at selling their products overseas, the report provides relevant information for producers – within the trade context. The report makes an attempt to capture all relevant information on the European market for fair and sustainable flowers and plants – ranging from economic structure of this market to production characteristics, and major trends in consumer preferences and behaviour.

Above all, the report provides insight into the role of various social and environmental standards in the main European flower and plant markets and sales channels.

About the Trade for Development Centre
The Trade for Development Centre gathers, analyses and produces market information to improve market access for producers in developing countries. The Belgian government entrusted the implementation of the Trade for Development Centre programme to BTC, the Belgium Technical Cooperation.

About ProVerde
ProVerde provides market research and trade development services to companies, organisations and Government institutes. ProVerde is specialised in cut flowers & plants, fruits & vegetables, and biodiversity products.

Link to Trade for Development
Direct download (for free)

December 2010

Fair trade labels on flowers are becoming more common, especially in supermarkets. But why would growers have to put a label on their flowers if they are already fair trade? This article aims to provide some more insight into fair trade certification.

Social responsibility
Consumers in the European Union are becoming increasingly aware of the consequences of their shopping behaviour on suppliers at the other end of the chain. In the flower market, consumers realise that they have the power and responsibility to influence production methods on the flower farms.

Consumer concerns about flower growing methods have been fed by media coverage in recent years. Several reports were published on low salaries, dangerous working conditions and discrimination on flower farms in developing countries. The reports upset consumers and damaged the image of the flower sector as a whole.

It is now clear to the flower sector that consumers demand fair labour conditions and measures have been taken to prevent further damage to their image. Importers demand fair labour conditions on their suppliers’ farms and require a guarantee. They visit and audit the flower farms themselves, but increasingly rely on 3rd parties to verify if labour conditions are indeed fair.

Certification
Auditing by third parties is already a common procedure in the flower sector. Certification of several management systems, such as Milieu Project Sierteelt (MPS), are invaluable to most flower farms. Auditing on labour conditions was thus a logical step for the sector.

The following certificates for fair labour conditions are available: Max Havelaar, FLO (Fair Trade), Flower Label Programme (FLP), Fair Flowers and Plants (FFP), MPS Socially Qualified (MPS-SQ), Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) and SA 8000.

These certification schemes differ in product coverage, countries where the certified products are sold, labelling options and, of course, standards. The table below shows the number of companies that have obtained each certificate regarding fair labour conditions.

For more information, see Kasper Kervers’ complete article on Horticom

Following the success of the previous training activities and upon request of the Ethiopian flower sector, CBI organised four Master Classes as a key activity of CBI’s 2009 floricultural training programme in Ethiopia. The programme was developed in close cooperation with EHPEA and focused on different aspects of flower export marketing.

In the course of the Master Class training series, participants wrote a concise export marketing plan. The structure of the export marketing plan was used as the framework for the special topics covered in the training programme: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), post-harvest and logistical requirements, market research in the flower business, getting the best price on the auction, and internal and external communication and client orientation.

The four Master Class sessions were organised in early May, mid June, mid September and early December of this year. CBI trainers included Milco Rikken (ProVerde) who was in charge of coordination and execution, as well as Dana van Hes (E4 Consulting), Jeroen van der Hulst (Flowerwatch), Maarten van Schie (OTV Wageningen) and Maarten van Woerden (Helicon).

The training series was carried out in close collaboration with EHPEA, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers Exporters Association and the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Addis Ababa.

The European Commission has officially announced the winner of the EU organic logo competition. Over the past two months, some 130,000 people have voted online to choose the new organic symbol from three finalists. The winning design is by Dusan Milenkovic, a student from Germany, who gained 63 % of the overall vote for his “Euro-leaf” logo. From July 1, 2010, the organic logo of the EU will be obligatory on all pre-packaged organic products that have been produced in any of the EU Member States and meet the necessary standards. It will be optional for imported products. Other private, regional or national logos will be allowed to appear alongside the EU label. The organic farming regulation will be amended in the coming weeks to introduce the new logo into one of the annexes.

“I’m delighted that we now have a fresh EU organic food logo,” said Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, who first proposed the competition to select the logo. “This exercise has raised the profile of organic food and we now have a logo which everyone will be able to identify with. It’s a nice elegant design and I look forward to buying products carrying this logo from July this year.” The winning logo was the result of a pan-European contest open to art and design students. The nearly 3,500 logo designs submitted were examined by an internationally renowned jury. The best three logos were uploaded on the competition website and subject to an online vote which ended on January 31, 2010. The ”Euro-leaf” design shows the EU stars in the shape of a leaf against a green background. It is a very straightforward sign containing two clear messages: Nature and Europe.

Source: European Commission

On Monday 12 October, the Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn introduced mixed long roses under their AH Pure & Honest brand (AH Puur & Eerlijk). During a short ceremony in Zaandam, Mrs. R.C. Rono, Ambassador of Kenya, presented the first bunch to Mr. Albert Voogd, Director of Commerce of Albert Heijn. During the next two weeks, all Albert Heijn supermarkets will focus on the Pure & Honest theme. This new brand of Albert Heijn makes it easy for customers to choose responsible and sustainable products.

Ahold is an international group of quality supermarkets and foodservice operators based in Europe and the USA. Ahold’s subsidiary Albert Heijn is the first and largest supermarket chain in The Netherlands. The company operates stores in a number of formats: the everyday supermarket, the larger Albert Heijn XL for the weekly groceries (4000 square meters), the convenience stores Ah to go and the internet delivery service Albert.nl. Almost 200 of the Albert Heijn are run by franchisees.

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a social code of conduct that commits participating companies in the UK to guarantee decent working conditions throughout the supply chain. The ETI was originally developed in response to a need signalled in the food and garment sectors and these sectors continue to be the most important ones. However, the ETI is open to all companies and among the participants, representatives from for instance the cosmetics and stationery sector are also found.

Note that the ETI is not a label or certification scheme and participating companies do not communicate the ETI on their actual products. Instead, they commit themselves to incorporate labour standards in their supplier demands. Consequently, they will require their suppliers to meet the ETI standards.

Market impact
The ETI holds a strong market share in the UK food and garment sector. There are no actual figures on the market impact, some sources suggest a market share of up to 70% whereas other sources estimate a share of 40%. Whatever the actual figure may be, it is clear that the participating companies, including the largest supermarket chains in the UK, have a significant share in the British retail market. It is important to note, however, that the ETI initiative applies to the participating companies’ own products and does not require that the companies stop selling brands that do not participate in the ETI.
There are different approaches from ETI participants looking for new suppliers. In some cases, companies are looking for suppliers that already meet the criteria of the ETI. In other cases, companies initially focus on commercial criteria to turn to labour standards at a stage at when the business relationship has already started. In general, however, most companies will prefer an initial proof of commitment to the ETI criteria by their potential suppliers.

ETI in the flower sector
Although ETI in the flower sector initially focused on Kenya, ETI members that source flowers have been applying this learning to other areas of their supply chain. In April 2007, ETI brought Colombian flower exporters, trade unions and companies sourcing from Colombia to the discussion table for the first time. All parties agreed to establish the first-ever multistakeholder forum for addressing workers’ rights in the floriculture industry.

Participating companies
Among the members are the two largest supermarkets in Britain, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s was a founding member of the ETI and Tesco signed up at a later stage.

ETI is an alliance of British companies, NGOs and trade union organisations and enjoys the support of the British government. In addition to the ETI Base Code, which all participating companies commit themselves to, the initiative also sets up projects and develops methods for including ethical considerations in trading practices. The projects aim to identify and promote good practice in specific aspects of code implementation and as such, the ETI is a platform where the different members can work together and share their experiences.

Contents
Companies joining the ETI commit themselves to meeting the ETI Base Code. The ETI Base Code forms the foundation for the work and contains nine clauses which reflect the most relevant international standards with respect to labour practices:

• no forced labour
• freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
• safe and hygienic working conditions
• no child labour to be used
• living wages to be paid
• no excessive working hours
• no discrimination
• regular employment to be provided
• no harsh or inhumane treatment

The Base Code is accompanied by a set of general principles concerning implementation. ETI members are expected to adopt the Base Code, or to adopt their own code as long as it incorporates the Base Code. They must require that suppliers meet agreed standards within a reasonable time frame, and that performance in this regard is measured and transparent.

You can download the Base Code on the ETI website.

Participating companies are committed to report annually on their progress in implementing the Base Code. In case targets are not met, the members receive feedback and assistance. Although the reports are not required to be made publicly available, most participating companies share their experiences and results with the rest of the participants.

Consequences for suppliers
As mentioned above, ETI members will require their suppliers to comply with ETI standards. This means that they will probably require that the supplier is audited. These audits are used as a way of diagnosing problems, not as a ‘pass or fail’ test. ETI member companies should not stop trading with a supplier if the audit uncovers only minor issues. However, if they uncover very serious issues, the supplier will be expected to take immediate corrective action. If they do not do so, they may lose the business.

Sources: EU Market Research, ETI, CBI (2009)

Due to the economic crisis, the number of participants in the Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) certification scheme has grown less than anticipated. Over the last year, the total number of growers participating in the label has only grown by twelve. The aim was sixty. According to the Vakblad voor de Bloemisterij, there are currently 159 certified operators.