Flower Label Program
The Flower Label Program eV (FLP) was a non-profit association founded in 1999 and based in Cologne , which supported the implementation of socially and environmentally compatible conditions in cut flower production by certifying flower farms. The association is no longer active. Flower farms that met the FLP standard, received a seal of approval , the Flower Label , which should signal a socially and environmentally responsible production.
organization
The FLP emerged from a flower campaign by Bread for the World , FIAN (FoodFirst information and action network) and terre des hommes , which wanted to draw attention to the grievances in flower production. In 1999 flower growers, trading companies, human rights organizations and trade unions joined the FLP. These different interest groups formed the four chambers of the FLP. Each of these chambers elected a representative to the FLP board.
At the turn of the year 2011/2012, the human rights organization FIAN , the IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt and other partners separated from the sponsoring association. The reason given was that due to insufficient distribution, the economic viability was not given and so there was a risk of the seal being misused by non-certified providers.
Production conditions and certification
In Germany, over three billion euros are spent on cut flowers every year. This made Germany the third largest cut flower market in the world. 82 percent of these flowers are imported into Germany via the Netherlands. Most of these imported flowers come from flower plantations in Africa and Latin America. Kenya , Ecuador , Colombia , Zimbabwe and Tanzania are among the most important production countries due to their climatic conditions. However, it is not uncommon for flowers there to be produced under difficult social conditions and high environmental pollution. The workers on the flower farms often receive low wages, have no permanent employment contracts, have no freedom of association and are exposed to the stress of pesticides.
Since flowers are not branded goods and no designation of origin has to be given in the shop, consumers can hardly assess where the flowers come from and how they are produced. The flower label wanted to break through this anonymity of the goods. The FLP offered certification according to the “International Code of Conduct for Cut Flowers, Potted Plants and Cut Green Production” (ICC). Flower farms certified by the FLP have agreed to adhere to universal human rights standards , the conventions of the International Labor Organization ( ILO ) and basic environmental standards and to extend these obligations to their suppliers and contractors. The main criteria of the FLP certification were:
- Freedom of union ,
- Prohibition of child and forced labor
- Fixed contracts and above-average social benefits ,
- Health and safety at work ,
- Responsible use of natural resources,
- Ban on highly toxic pesticides .
Compliance with the standards was checked by third parties. Human rights organizations and trade unions had the right to monitor the audit and carry out spot checks. Flowers that have been certified by the FLP-standard, could a seal of approval, the Flower Label , the consumer signal a sustainable and decent production.
Trade and prices
The FLP focused solely on controlling production. In contrast to the products with the Fair Trade seal , there were no guaranteed minimum prices and premiums for producers. As an additional product feature, the seal indicated that the specified production standards were being adhered to.
distribution
In June 2010 there were 56 FLP-certified establishments in six countries: Ecuador, Chile, Germany, Kenya, Portugal and Sri Lanka. According to the company, this made it possible to directly improve the living and working conditions of around 13,000 workers. They had fixed employment contracts, standard working hours of 40 hours per week, one guaranteed day off per week, reasonable wages, and pregnant women were given twelve weeks of paid maternity leave.
According to one of the participating non-governmental organizations , the label has improved the working conditions of around 20,000 people on the flower plantations through employment contracts and compliance with social standards.
FLP organic and regional
The “Flowers.natural” pilot project was intended to encourage consumers and producers to be more fair and to be more environmentally conscious, not only in the so-called developing countries, but also in European production. For the first time, German flower producers, online flower senders, the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture (FiBL), pesticide experts, FIAN Germany, the “Fairschenk Flowers” campaign from Bielefeld, the Green League Berlin and other partners worked together under the leadership of the Flower Label Program . FLP standards for German and European flower production were jointly developed. The FLP certificate was supplemented by the criteria "FLP regional" and "FLP bio", so that in regional production there was a focus on short and environmentally friendly delivery routes and / or organic cultivation according to the criteria of the German organic associations. The project was co-financed 50 percent by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Flower Label Program eV (FLP) is no longer active. Flower Label FLP website, accessed April 23, 2015.
- ↑ Christian Gehrke: Seal for ecological and fair flowers at the end; FLOWER LABEL PROGRAM Organizations and trade unions terminate their membership - the daily newspaper , January 9, 2012, p. 8
- ↑ Christian Gehrke: Seal for ecological and fair flowers at the end; FLOWER LABEL PROGRAM Organizations and trade unions terminate their membership - the daily newspaper , January 9, 2012, p. 8.