From 1 January 2026, the majority of members and suppliers who offer, trade and settle flowers and plants through the Royal FloraHolland platform must be certified according to the requirements of the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSIbasket of standards).
With a step-by-step approach, all members and suppliers will be phased towards full FSI compliance in 2027. With this decision by Royal FloraHolland, growers are taking their responsibility on sustainability in line with the future-proofing of the sector, the increasing demand from society and the requirements of legislation. It also matches the needs of the Floriculture Accelerators, a group of progressive growers, and of the FSI Accelerators Group, a group of large buyers, which has committed to buying 100% certified by 2027.
Trade association VGB is calling on its members to do the same. This is a collective step by the floriculture sector on sustainability; growers and buyers join hands on the road to full transparency. In doing so, the sector is moving forward and taking responsibility.
By 2040, the floriculture sector aims to be climate-neutral, as laid down in the Glasshouse Horticulture Energy Transition Covenant with the central government. There are already many good examples of concrete energy transitions, such as LED lighting, geothermics and solar energy. Making ornamental horticulture even more sustainable is necessary to keep the world liveable for future generations, with growers making huge strides on energy, labour, use of crop protection, packaging and water .
Thanks to innovative strength and entrepreneurship, immense strides have been made in recent years. Many members have taken the lead and invested heavily in sustainable solutions, and the same can be seen on the buyers' side, creating great initiatives. Now we need to take the next step: certification is important for transparency and objectification.
Certification of growers is going to contribute to the reputation of floriculture, in the Netherlands and abroad. The FSI Accelerator Group (Dutch Flower Group (DFG), FM Group, Floral Trade Group and Royal Lemkes) also supports the Royal FloraHolland decision, which fits with the commitment of these buyers: all companies within this group are committing to their entire own sourcing being 100% FSI-compliant from 2027.
Marcel Zandvliet, DFG board member:
"This decision is crucial for our companies and sector. This is why we have been working on this issue from the FSI Accelerator Group since 2017. We are therefore pleased with the step RFH is now taking, which also fits seamlessly into the commitment and timelines of the FSI Accelerator Group. Large international retail companies, our customers, are setting increasingly stringent sustainability requirements. The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) legislation also requires us to demonstrably report on the sustainability of the products we trade"
With the chosen approach, Royal FloraHolland wants to enable all growers to make their supply 100% FSI-compliant by 2027 and thus enable all buyers to buy 100% certified through the Royal FloraHolland platform. RoyalFloraHolland will enforce this decision.