Fair Flowers Fair Plants
Fair Flowers Fair Plants (FFP) is an initiative launched in 2006 to stimulate the production and sales of flowers and plants cultivated in a sustainable manner. Sustainably cultivated flowers and plants are grown in a way that respects people and the environment. These products are then sold to consumers under the FFP label.
Reason for FFP initiative
Sustainably cultivated products are thought to be important for the environment, since their cultivation places as low a burden as possible on the environment, and good working conditions within the enterprises are guaranteed. The European Community and the Horticultural Commodity Board has offered its support to this initiative in the form of grants for an information campaign AbOUT these flowers and plants. The information campaign is aimed at the promotion of sales of European-produced flowers and plants.
Difference from Fair Trade
Fair Trade flowers have existed for sometime, but it is only growers in developing countries that can join that scheme. FFP is a global programme designed specifically for the flower and plant industry, which means growers in Holland, where a large number of the flowers we source are grown, also produce FFP products by meeting the highest ethical standards.
Traceability is a ‘must’ within FFP
FFP products are supplied through a closed supply chain from the grower to the retailer. It is through this complete supply chain control that the consumer can be sure that the acquired bouquet or plant was grown in a sustainable nursery and passed through the hands of ethically sound distributors and retailers. Each flower/plant is sold with a numbered label. This number refers to the participant in the chain, and allows the product's provenance to be checked. All FFP participants must comply with specific tracing requirements, which are shown on the FFP website.
Development of FFP
Work initially focused on flowers and plants growers, to bring them up to standard and develop a sufficient range to bring to market. Subsequently a push was made to find retailers who could support the FFP initiative, with florists in Germany and France being the first to sell FFP accredited products (in September 2006), and online UK florist, ArenaFlowers.com, launching the first FFP product range in the UK soon after.
Future of FFP
FFP will become increasingly adopted as the range available for sale expands. Until such time as all elements of a bouquet can be sourced from FFP accredited growers, the bouquet itself cannot be FFP accredited. Every single item in the bouquet must be FFP accredited for the flowers to qualify. Thus, completion of a full range of FFP accredited products is an important development step for the nascent ethical standard for the flowers industry.