In response to ever increasing demand from the public for sustainability and legislative requirements, the move by Royal Flora Holland aims to future proof the sector. A collective industry move, the new rules will apply to members and non-member suppliers where “growers and buyers join hands on the road to full transparency”.
To ensure (new) members and non-members, be they small or large companies are able to comply the FSI certification scheme consists of a basket of standards, ensuring all progress effectively towards full certification. The Dutch floriculture sector has committed to be climate neutral by 2040.
To date, 83% of Royal FloraHolland’s total product revenues are environmentally certified and 71% are FSI-compliant. With the chosen approach, Royal FloraHolland aims to enable all growers to make their supply 100% FSI-compliant by 2027 and thus enable all buyers to buy 100% certified through the Royal FloraHolland platform.
Royal FloraHolland CEO, Steven van Schilfgaarde said: “I am proud of where our sector is today. Thanks to the power of innovation and entrepreneurship, immense strides have been made. Many members have taken the lead and made substantial investments in sustainable solutions, the same can be seen on the buyers’ side which has allowed beautiful initiatives arise. Now we need to take the next step: certification is important for transparency and objectification. With our decision, buyers on our platform will soon only buy flowers and plants from certified growers. This fits the social role of our internationally leading floriculture platform, giving customers more transparency. It also fits with Royal FloraHolland’s role as a leading cooperative and floriculture hub in the Netherlands, Europe and beyond.”
To set the example, the FSI Accelerator Group, which is made up of the Dutch Flower Group (DFG), FM Group, Floral Trade Group and Royal Lemkes, have not only fully supported the Royal FloraHolland but have also subsequently committed to being 100% FSI compliant for their own procurement from 2027.
Matthijs Mesken, director VGB (Association of Wholesalers in Horticultural Products) said: “We see an increasing demand from society for transparency, for example in the areas of cultivation and labour, themes that are very important for us as trade. Certification of growers is going to contribute to the reputation of floriculture, in the Netherlands and abroad.”
Marcel Zandvliet, DFG board member: “This decision is crucial for our companies and sector. This is why we have been working on this issue from the FSI Accelerator Group since 2017. We are therefore pleased with the step RFH is now taking, which also fits seamlessly into the commitment and timelines of the FSI Accelerator Group. Large international retail companies, our customers, are setting increasingly strict sustainability requirements. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) legislation also requires us to demonstrably report on the sustainability of the products we trade.”