We’ve all heard of “sustainability”. But what exactly does it mean? Sustainability refers to the ability to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”1 When it comes to consumer products, sustainability addresses a full range of product quality, social responsibility and environmental protection issues. As consumers, when we choose sustainable products, we are sending a strong signal that these issues matter to us.
The VeriFlora certification program was established to provide stringent sustainability performance standards for growers and handlers of cut flowers and potted plants. It empowers each of us to stand up for sustainability standards that encompass all of the important issues, and to support the farmers and businesses who are making sustainability a reality.
The floral industry is a dynamic and rapid growing industry that started off in the early 19th century in England. At that time, flowers were grown for sale on massive country estates. The flower trade has grown to be a multi billion dollar marketplace that consists of growers, wholesalers and retailers.
Floriculture, or flower farming, is a division of horticulture where flowers are grown for resale by the floristry retail segment.
Some Floriculture crops would include flowering plants, foliage plants or houseplants, cut cultivated greens, and cut flowers. Bedding and garden plants are usually flowering plants (annuals and perennials) and vegetable plants. They are grown in trays, in pots, or in hanging baskets, usually inside a green house environment, and sold mainly for gardens and landscaping. The most popular plants are Geraniums, impatiens, and petunias.
Flowering plants are largely sold in large pots for indoor use. The major flowering plants are poinsettias, orchids, florist chrysanthemums, and finished florist azaleas. Foliage plants are also sold in pots and hanging baskets for indoor and patio use, including larger specimens for office, hotel, and restaurant interior
Production of flowers has lately moved from the traditional old world growing centers to new countries where the climates are more consistent and amenable and where the cost of growing is substantially lower.
Holland and other traditional growers, are shifting their role from growing to tranding and investing in research and technology that will allow for the production of more insect resistant and longer lasting strains of product. Today the new flower growing centers are in countries like Colombia (second largest exporter in the world), Ecuador, Ethiopia, Kenya, and India. Other countries in this industry are Israel, South Africa, Australia,Thailand and Malaysia.
Kenya is the largest flower producer in Africa, supplying a large percentage of Europe’s flowers, the industry there is represented by the Kenya Flower Council.
In South America, Colombia is the leading flower producer and exporter accounting for 59% of all flowers imported to The United States in 2006. The United States imports 79% of its flowers. Ecuador has become, in recent years, the leading South American rose producer and is well known throughout the world for its high quality, large headed roses due to the high altitude location of its rose farms.