Oct 8, 2010

Rocket Farms Earns VeriFlora CertificationSource: Rocket Farms

Rocket Farms announced last week that it has met the stringent requirements to earn VerFlora certification for agricultural sustainability. Recognized as the gold standard in the floriculture and horticulture industries, VeriFlora certification requires growers to meet high standards in environmental sustainability including sustainable crop production, water conservation, energy efficiency, ecosystem protection and integrated waste management.

Rocket Farms announced last week that it has met the stringent requirements to earn VerFlora certification for agricultural sustainability. Recognized as the gold standard in the floriculture and horticulture industries, VeriFlora certification requires growers to meet high standards in environmental sustainability including sustainable crop production, water conservation, energy efficiency, ecosystem protection and integrated waste management. The certification also addresses social sustainability, ensuring fair labor practices and a safe, equitable and healthy work environment.

VeriFlora certification is conducted by Scientific Certification Systems, a global third-party certifier of environmental sustainability and agricultural product quality claims with no vested interest in the companies it evaluates. This independent certification process involves detailed on-site inspections, document audits, in-depth interviews and annual follow-up.

The VeriFlora Certified Sustainably Grown label guarantees that flowers and potted plants have been produced with high-quality standards in an environmentally and socially responsible manner,” said John Dodson, managing director of food and agriculture at SCS. “Rocket Farms, like all VeriFlora certified growers, has shown a strong commitment to delivering superior products that retailers can feel good about carrying and consumers can feel good about purchasing.”

“Rocket Farms views sustainability as a process rather than as a single event,” said Marc Clark, executive vice president of Rocket Farms. “Every well-run company that takes corporate social responsibility seriously must at its core be committed to operating in a sustainable manner, and VeriFlora certification is an integral part of that. The certification process has helped us see all the things we were already doing right and then raise the bar for everything else.”

As part of their commitment to sustainability, Rocket Farms goes beyond just recycling, finding creative ways to reuse leftover materials such as rebuilding greenhouses and constructing rolling benches. They are also in the process of retrofitting all their greenhouse space to bottom heat, conserving an estimated additional 10-20 percent of energy per year.

For more information on Rocket Farms, visit www.rocketfarms.com. To learn more about VeriFlora, go to www.veriflora.com or www.scscertified.com.