Jan 25, 2013

Floriculture Sustainability Initiative Launches Official ProgramSource: Floral Sustainability Initiative

The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) launched its official program at the IPM Fair in Essen, Germany.

The 25 international partners of the initiative are committed to have 90 percent of their internationally traded production sustainable by 2020. This is a sector-wide initiative, targeting the entire supply chain.

The FSI officially launched at the BGI Stand Party with more than 150 international guests attending, ranging from buyers to producers. This event marked the beginning of an international cooperation whereby the target is to define, align and mainstream sustainability in the floricultural sector.

By managing and prioritizing the sustainability risks on sector level, FSI hopes to reduce the fragmentation of the multitude of projects and standards and will align investments and actions of the private and public sector. The FSI aims to unite sector players and will be introducing an innovative benchmarking system to give the sector transparency and comparability of standards. FSI will create a clear sustainability agenda drafted by and for the sector and will take joint action on current and future sustainability challenges such as water use, working conditions and use of pesticides.

“As an international organization we believe that we can contribute to the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative by bringing the message across to all actors in the supply chain,” said Lennart Loven, president of Union Fleurs.

The FSI is a business driven initiative with full membership and strong participation of civil society organizations and stakeholders. Front running organizations and companies are working together in a pre-competitive way with the ambition to realize a sustainable industry by 2020.

For more information, please visit www.floriculturesustainabilityinitiative.com.