New Industry Focus Group Agrees on Standard Revision Targets toward Simplification and Greater Sustainability

 

The GLOBALG.A.P. standard for Flowers and Ornamentals, the basis for the GGN label for certified floriculture, is being revised to strengthen its environmental requirements and ensure its continued contribution to sustainability in floriculture. The revision is premised on the proposal of a data-driven approach.

This approach calls for the recording and analysis of producer-collected data on the amounts of plant protection products (PPP), nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, water, and energy used in the production process. In addition, the focus is on other environmental elements like integrated pest management (IPM), water collection, and biodiversity, improving the requirements in the standard. The standard’s increased emphasis on environmental aspects is important in increasing the relevance of both the standard itself and the GGN label. In this way, the GGN label fulfils consumers’ growing expectations of not only a safe but also a responsibly produced product. 

GLOBALG.A.P. is working towards an IT solution to collect environmental indicators, i.e., consumption of plant protection products (PPP), fertilizers, water, and energy. For some producers this will be a market requirement. The IT solution will be part of GLOBALG.A.P.’s process of developing its new standards and updating existing standards.

The goal is to make the standard and the GGN label simpler for the producer while still making it more relevant in its environmental dimension. With its growing acceptance among retailers and consumers, the GGN label allows anyone to discover the source of the purchased plant or flower through access to the GGN consumer portal containing ca. 300 floriculture producers and traders with GLOBALG.A.P. certified production processes. 

Kristian Moeller, CEO of GLOBALG.A.P., whose standard for Flowers and Ornamentals underpins the GGN certified floriculture label, says: “GGN.org and the efforts being made by improving the GLOBALG.A.P. standard for Flowers and Ornamentals stand for the idea that joint goals are achieved when all those involved work together. Our principles of dialogue, transparency, reliability, and development have helped us support a modern form of floriculture that is clearly oriented towards sustainability.”

Learn more at www.ggn.org

About GLOBALG.A.P.

GLOBALG.A.P. is a leading global certification program whose mission is to bring farmers and retailers together to produce and market safe food, protect scarce resources, and build a sustainable future.

Contact: 

GLOBALG.A.P. c/o FoodPLUS GmbH 
Claudia Meifert   
Public Relations  
T: +49 (0) 221-57776-997
meifert@globalgap.org