The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) is a global organization that has set standards to move the floral industry toward 90 percent compliance by 2025. In one of its projects, FSI and Dudutech — an African pest management company — trained 300 small scale Kenyan farm workers in modern sustainable farming methods.
When it comes to navigating sustainability standards and practices in the floral industry, it’s easy to feel like a small sprout in a big garden. In Sustainability Spotlight, a special publication by Floral Management, contributing writer Bruce Wright profiles an independent, international organization that is helping to ease the growing pains by encouraging and cultivating collaboration.
The Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) was established in 2013 to bring together Earth-conscious floriculture stakeholders. Today, the nonprofit has 75 members worldwide. They span the full range of the industry, “from growers and breeders to retailers, hardgoods suppliers, floral associations, environmental organizations, and certification labels,” Wright reports.
FSI members collaborate on research and communicate the results with members. They share best practices and coordinate efforts on projects — such as wastewater management and integrated pest management — that move FSI toward its goal of a sustainable floriculture industry.
To that end, FSI developed a “basket of standards.” It serves as an industry reference for benchmarks, standards, practices, and certifications set by various organizations, including government regulators and certification labels. The basket is akin to an evergreen document: it is continually analyzed and revised to ensure it is current and relevant.
Using the basket of standards, FSI set an industry-wide compliance goal. By 2025, FSI aims for 90 percent of those involved in the production and sale of flowers and plants — from when the seeds are sown to when the goods are sold to customers — to be utilizing responsible, sustainable practices. In time, FSI will raise the stakes, with the ultimate goal of 100 percent compliance.
To learn more about FSI and its sustainability efforts, read “Raising the Bar” in Floral Management’s Sustainability Spotlight.
Laurie Herrera is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
