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
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