Flowers…uncut

Posted by: Interview - Regina Dinkla, Project Manager, FFP on April 21st, 2008

As consumer demand for sustainable and ethical living grows, people are increasingly buying products that boast strong ethical credentials. This trend is equally true in the flowers industry, but consumers can be confused by the numerous different “ethical” standards for flowers, “Fairtrade” and “Fair Flowers Fair Plants” (FFP) being the two most widespread. In the 2.5 years since its inception, the FFP standard has grown tremendously but is still new and not fully understood. So, we arranged an interview with Regina Dinkla, Project Manager for the FFP organisation, to ask her all the questions we thought our readers might have about FFP (and how it differs from Fairtrade).

ArenaFlowers.com: Let’s get this one out of the way straight away! Shouldn’t “Fair Flowers Fair Plants” shorten to FFFP rather than FFP?
Regina: Everyone always asks that! Originally our name was supposed to be Fair Flowers & Plants (so FFP) but that was already registered. Then becoming Fair Flowers Fair Plants, the acronym was FFFP but that was a bit of a mouthful so we cut one of the ‘Fairs’ from the acronym.

ArenaFlowers.com: What is the FFP?
Regina: Fair Flowers Fair Plants is an international initiative developed to create a uniform, global standard for the floristry industry. FFP is a non-profit organisation set up at the end of 2005 and it is the first truly international consumer label for sustainably cultivated flowers and plants. FFP is a broad network of trade unions, non-governmental organisations and international flower trade and production organisations adhering to an International Code of Conduct and a high environmental standard (MPS-A) for the production of fresh flowers and plants. In essence, FFP controls the florist supply chain in its entirety in order to regulate the use of pesticides, land energy and the working environment. Under the FFP initiative, participants in the florist supply chain, be they growers, traders or retailers, must guarantee that FFP requirements are met. This ensures that FFP products path through the supply chain is traceable at all times.

ArenaFlowers.com: Why was the FFP setup?
Regina: FFP was set up in response to a number of needs in the flowers and plants market. Until FFP, there was no clearly identifiable consumer label for sustainably and ethically produced flowers and plants from around the globe. To fulfil this brief, FFP had to unify a diverse set of existing global standards under a single standard. In addition, the FFP standard had to encompass not only ethical standards, but also environmental standards. FFP is the first truly global flowers programme as it is not limited to specific economic or geographic regions. FFP is flexible and transparent system and affords florists the opportunity to source flowers directly from FFP growers should they wish to (in the way that Arena Flowers does). This approach ensures fresher floral produce and reduced wastage resulting in fresher flowers for consumers while keeping a check on wider environmental aspects. Since it is a non-profit organisation, there is no automatic premium on FFP flowers, so the consumer doesn’t pay more for the privilege of buying FFP flowers.

ArenaFlowers.com: What are the key requirements for people to register?
Regina: The requirements for registering with FFP are fairly straightforward. Growers, traders and retailers register through the FFP website and sign up to a contract. Once the contract is signed, each entity has to adhere to individual requirements. For example:

Example FFP Rules For Growers:

• Adhere to International Code of Conduct for social requirements and to the MPS-A certificiation (or comparable) for environmental requirements;
• Specify the assortment (and volume) of FFP product grown on the site;
• Provide traceability for flowers & plants.

Example FFP Rules For Traders:

• Only sell genuine FFP products under the FFP banner;
• Demonstrate from which FFP supplier products have been purchased;
• Demonstrate which FFP products have been sold to which FFP clients.

Example FFP Rules For Retailers:

• Purchase of numbered FFP consumer labels linked to the point of sale;
• Attach FFP consumer label to the FFP product;
• Demonstrate which FFP suppliers were used for purchasing the products.

The FFP carries out surprise checks to monitor traceability. Detailed conditions for each participating entity can be viewed here: FFP Member Requirements Document.

ArenaFlowers.com: So are FFP flowers also Fairtrade flowers?
Regina: Yes. Fairtrade is a standard which upholds the production of many agricultural products, including flowers, in a socially sustainable manner, with the producer receiving a fair price for the products. Since FFP adheres to the same principles, FFP accepted flowers and plants qualify as Fairtrade.

ArenaFlowers.com: So what is the difference between FFP & Fairtrade?
Regina: We think that the Fairtrade movement has been a great thing for 3rd world producers and a great power for good, lifting many out of poverty. FFP is not trying to replace Fairtrade – it differs from Fairtrade in a number of ways:

• The Fairtrade movement was started to benefit producers in the third world, so participation is limited to selected farms and growers in developing economies. FFP is a global standard applicable to all the entities within the floristry industry, with free membership and no restrictions on eligibility.
• Fairtrade covers many agricultural sectors, whereas FFP is focused on the needs of the flower and plant growing sectors only.
• Fairtrade is supported mainly by commercial organisations and local / national Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). FFP is supported by the Global Horticulture Association, international trade unions, and environmental and human rights NGOs.
• The environmental demands of FFP are higher, more specific and more transparent than those of Fairtrade. Traceability is a key part of the FFP system, with the whole supply chain involved in the FFP system, not just the growers.
• Fairtrade products tend to attract a pricing premium of 15-20% whereas no premium is applied to FFP products; they are available at normal market prices.
• As international production is involved in FFP, consumers can not only buy flowers but also plants with an FFP label.

This is a more detailed breakdown of the differences between Fairtrade and FFP.

ArenaFlowers.com: Where do you see the FFP going in the future?
Regina: The FFP’s aim is to become the de facto standard for ethical and environmental compliance in the flowers and plants industry, making it simple for industry members to demonstrate good practice and easy for consumers to choose ethically sound products. To achieve this goal, on the supply side, we need to keep signing up growers, traders and retailers. We have about 1400 registered members right now, which is good, but want to keep adding to that. The best way to do that is to demonstrate consumer demand to suppliers. So on the consumer side, alongside our own marketing efforts, we need retailers such as ArenaFlowers.com to keep pushing the FFP concept in their marketing in order to drive consumer awareness of and demand for FFP products.

ArenaFlowers.com: Thanks for your time!
Regina: No problem!

Filed under: Ethics & Environment, Flowers, Guest Posts on April 21st, 2008