The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) is a unique international public private sector initiative that will be officially launched during the Floriade2012. With the support of a growing number of international organizations the initiative is currently being shaped with the aim to mainstream sustainability in the sector. Current founding participants are:
ANCEF, BGI, BRO, EPHEA, Dutch Flower Group, Fair Flowers Fair Plants, FleuraMetz, FloraHolland, Florint, Hivos, LTO Noord Glaskracht, MPS, Pfitzer B.V., Rainforest Rescue International, UnionFleurs, VGB, Vereinigung des Schweizerischen Blumengrosshandels and WWF Kenya.
FSI is an international coalition of major players in the flower sector, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders. By joint commitments and pre-competitive cooperation the FSI aims to contribute to greater sustainability in the sector and to create a more level playing field for producers, wholesalers and retail. A first important step is to develop a tool to increase the transparency and comparability of existing floriculture sustainability standards. Such a tool will increase efficiency, flexibility in buying, decrease costs and reduce the overlap of criteria. This will create a starting point for mainstreaming the implementation and demand of sustainability criteria in the sector by building on existing standards and initiatives.
In the coming months the governance and financial model will be developed. FSI will be financially independent and linked to existing structures to create a cost effective and sector embedded initiative. The start-up of the FSI is financed by the founding members and co-funded by the Dutch Horticulture Board (PT) and the Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH).
“To accelerate sustainability in the sector we should cooperate and create tools on an international level”, states Herman de Boon, chairman of the FSI steering group a.i. “It is of great importance that this initiative is supported by a large group of stakeholders”.
Therefore, FSI invites profit and non-profit organizations that are a stakeholder in the international floriculture sector and endorse FSI’s objectives to become a founding member.
For more information visit www.floriculturesustainabilityinitiative.com
Source: The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative