Why We Started Florverde®

Florverde® is Spanish for green flowers and a public statement of how much the Colombian flower industry has improved over the past 11 years as well as setting out our vision of where we want to lead the industry.
Established in 1996 by Colombian flower growers and Asocolflores, the Colombian flower growers’ trade association, Florverde® is a set of social and environmental standards, as well as a code of conduct.
Florverde® strives to improve the lives and living standards of floral farm workers and their families; to preserve and protect the environment for the industry’s farmers for generations to come; and to ensure high-quality, affordable flowers for consumers year-round.
Currently, more than 170 farms, comprising half of the acreage devoted to growing flowers, have qualified for, or are in the process of qualifying for, Florverde® certification. Farms are certified Florverde® compliant by SGS, an independent third party.1

Florverde® Means Humane Working Conditions

People who work on flower farms in Colombia benefit from stable jobs, above average pay and extended benefits. None of our members will hire workers under 18 years of age, even though Colombian law allows 16 year-olds to work with their parents’ permission.
What’s more, not only are our workers paid approximately 20% more than the Colombian minimum wage but their hours are less as well given the average flower worker on Florverde farms work 46.5 hours a week compared to the normal 48 hours a week elsewhere.
Access to on-site medical care, dining areas and hot meals are standard while more and more farms are exceeding specified worker requirements by offering child care, housing subsidies and literacy education. Click here for more details.
As a result of this extensive worked focus, the Florverde® label is recognized among commercial flower buyers in the United States and Europe as an assurance that our flowers are grown in compliance with international social, environmental, labour and occupational health and safety standards.

Florverde® Matches International Standards

Colombia has clear and stringent regulations on agricultural and pest control chemical products and has made enormous efforts to promote safe practices in the handling and application of these products.
Florverde® farms only use products that are registered with the Colombian Agriculture Institute and licensed by the Ministry of Health and registered for use in the United States and European Union (EU). Workers are educated and trained in the safe use of these chemicals and provided with appropriate safety equipment.

Florverde® Certification is a Stringent Process

There is no provision for partial certification. To be certified Florverde®, farms must comply with all compulsory standards, including operational and social guidelines. Two auditors spend three days, a day and a half each on social and environmental issues, on an average farm.
Florverde® requirements are divided into four levels, ranging from essential to secondary. The first two levels are fundamental and legislative practices like proper employee training and safe pesticide use. The third and fourth levels include tasks such as collecting employee feedback and measuring rainfall.
Once a farm meets the first three requirements, the grower is certified.2 Certification is verified by SGS, a renowned international audit company based in Switzerland. SGS is a leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company, widely recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity.
With more than 46,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,000 offices and laboratories around the world. Once certified, a company renews its certification every three years. Starting in 2007, certified farms are now inspected annually by SGS and have to submit quarterly reports.

For more information and full details about the Florverde standards go to www.florverde.org

1 SGS Certification, January 2007
2 Florverde certification general regulations, December 2006, page 17