growing green: VeriFlora Certified Sustainability The VeriFlora sustainability certification program offers ornamental growers new opportunities while ensuring social and environmental responsibility and product quality. by Laura Drotleff, Senior Staff Writer lhdrotleff@meistermedia.com We have seen the word everywhere. Sustainability, in its many forms, is at the grocery store, being driven by the big boxes and in the consumer press. But what exactly does the word mean? Can a grower who has adopted energy alternatives rightly market his crops as sustainable? What about the grower who sells his plants in biodegradable pots? Does a grower have to go organic to be considered sustainable or is reducing chemicals enough? This is where Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) comes in. The organization is an independent certifier of environmental, sustainability, food quality and food purity claims, and runs a certifi cation program called VeriFlora that emphasizes sustainability standards. Now available for the potted plants sector in the U.S. ornamental industry, VeriFlora is gaining ground with interest from growers, retailers, wholesalers and other distributors. And with sustainable practices becoming more important to consumers and a priority in many industries, proponents of sustainability certifi cation are encouraging growers to take a hard look at their own production practices. The idea behind setting a sustainability standard is to provide one clear defi nition to the industry so everyone is on the same page, says Linda Brown, SCS executive vice president. "Having that will help to ensure that when people use the term sustainability to define their practices and products, that they are using the same meaning," she says. "It will also have international ramifications because it will make sure that anybody making a sustainability claim on products sold in this country are being held to the same standard." Defining Sustainability So what is VeriFlora all about? Aside from using crop production practices that build soil fertility and control pests without the use of chemicals, such as practices found in organic production, the program also emphasizes wildlife protection; energy and water efficiency; reductions in greenhouse gases and wastes; and fair labor practices, among other facets (see "Elements Of Sustainability"). VeriFlora is the first sustainability program for cut flowers and potted plants that addresses all of these areas. "In the past three years, VeriFlora has grown exponentially in the cut flower sector, from about 18 million stems to more than 750 million stems this year," Brown says. "We are now beginning to see a surge in interest in the potted plant sector, fueled in part by growing retailer interest in sustainably grown products. As awareness of VeriFlora grows and general interest in sustainability grows, we expect a large segment of the industry to adopt sustainability practices and seek certification." While recognizing organic growers as the top tier in sustainable production, VeriFlora also requires conventional growers to develop a plan for converting to organic pest management and soil fertility practices over time. It also covers three other areas beyond organic practices: environmental and social responsibility and product quality. Merchandising is available for VeriFlora certified cut flowers, and more is on the way for potted plant growers, according to the new VeriFlora Sustainability Council. "Sustainability is a larger umbrella than organic, and organic is contained within the scope of sustainability, but not the other way around," Brown says. "So ultimately sustainability is the direction of the future. That's why we need a comprehensive standard that takes all of these issues under one framework, and organic practices will thrive under a sustainability framework rather than being shoveled off to being something opposite." Getting Started Growers interested in the VeriFlora certifi cation start by filling out an application, which is available at www.veriflora.com. The initial process involves entering into a certifi cation agreement, including confi dentiality. Next, the applicant completes the Self-Assessment Checklist, a crucial step of the entire certification effort. The Self-Assessment Checklist helps growers identify areas in their businesses that need attention, Brown says. "The checklist is really an educational tool inasmuch as it's part of a certification process, because it shows people these are the things you need to pay attention to if you want to move toward a sustainable marketing claim." SCS reviews the grower's Self-Assessment Checklist once submitted, and based on the review, determines whether the grower is ready to move toward certifi cation on Track 2 or whether the grower needs to go through the set-up phase in Track 1. "Depending on the readiness of the grower or handler, the timeframe for sustainability is two to six months," Brown says."Two months if sustainability practices are in place, six months or more if sustainability practices are not well documented or if corrective actions are required." Track 1 follows a set of steps specific to the individual grower, depending on the policies or practices the grower may need to write or implement. For example, a grower may not have a written policy on harassment in the workplace, a subject under the fair labor practices element. The grower would then need to draft and enact such a policy to move forward with certification. For areas in which a grower needs assessment, SCS and the applicant together identify areas that are defi cient to certification standards and a plan to correct these areas in current practices and procedures. SCS works with applicants to help them establish new practices, procedures and policy documents, and provides any necessary information. The organization will also visit growers on-site to provide training to key personnel and help managers develop written procedures and documentation. "Achieving Track 1 sustainability is an incremental process, whereby a company tackles one issue at a time in a manner that is most cost effective and practical for its operations," Brown says. After all areas identifi ed as needing attention are completed, the applicant submits an updated Self-Assessment Checklist and if approved, moves on to Track 2 toward certifi cation. In Track 2, SCS conducts an on-site inspection in which the auditor reviews documents, gathers evidence and interviews employees, and prepares an Audit Report that identifi es any major or minor Corrective Action Requirements (CARs). Once CARs are completed, SCS reviews the grower's steps to do so. Finally the SCS Certifi cation Committee evaluates the applicant's actions and policies and decides whether to issue a new certifi cation, extend an existing certifi cation or deny, suspend or revoke an existing certifi cation, as the case may be. "If this is an initial audit, CARs are identified. A major CAR must be corrected before certifi cation can be granted, while a minor CAR generally must be implemented within a defi ned timeframe," Brown says. "If this is a certifi cation renewal inspection and major CARs are identifi ed, then a certifi cation may be suspended or revoked, unless immediate corrective action is undertaken." Several cut flower growers in North America and South America are already VeriFlora certified in sustainable growing practices. This year there have been 750 million stems produced sustainably, up from 18 million three years ago.
Generating Interest And Awareness So far, one potted plant grower has become VeriFlora certified in the United States, Ball Tagawa in Arroyo Grande, Calif. The operation, a joint venture between Ball Horticultural Co. and Tagawa Greenhouses of Colorado that produces young plants for wholesale growers, was certifi ed this past summer, following Ball's lead. Ball Horticultural Co. has become certified sustainable, farm by farm, in each of the countries where it owns production operations, through VeriFlora in the United States and other similar sustainability certifi cation programs worldwide, says Bill Doeckel, general manager of Ball Innovations, who is heading up many of the company's efforts on sustainability. Ball has already been a big infl uence in the industry-wide sustainability movement. "One of our goals as a company is to promote sustainability and to get more growers producing sustainably," Doeckel says. "Certifi cation does require a commitment on behalf of the grower. You have to decide what is important to you as a business. We think it's important for the industry to move in that direction and that is why we have spent time volunteering on these different committees to move the effort forward."
Currently, 13 growers in South America with a total of 32 farms are either certifi ed or soon to be certifi ed by VeriFlora. In the United States, six growers and a total of 18 farms are certified or soon to be certified, including industry leaders Sun Valley Group and B&H Flowers. In addition, certifi ed handlers include three of the largest fl oral distributors in North America – Delaware Valley Floral Group, Savoir Fleur and Sierra Flower Trading, Ltd. The newly forming VeriFlora Sustainability Council is an organization that will aim to promote the VeriFlora brand in the marketplace and educate the industry and consumer public about what it means to be sustainable and the importance of sustainable agriculture practices. Annie Gardiner, the council's executive director, says the organization is looking to formalize its structure in the next 60 days. "We are constituting ourselves as a legal entity and putting a membership structure in place and at the same time starting some of our mission-driven activities," she says. In addition to promotion and education, the council will provide certified members with support around their VeriFlora certified product and train them to talk to buyers about it, as well as work with retailers to set up appropriate merchandising to draw their customers' interest in sustainable products. The council will also work to train retail sales staffs to sell VeriFlora certified product. "There is a VeriFlora merchandising program so plants can be marketed at retail," Gardiner says. "We also have the consumer Web site, www.verifl ora.com, and are aggressively targeting the consumer press to get that pull through."
Teaching Green Garden center owners and managers are teaching employees the benefi ts of organic, natural and sustainable products so they can pass along the knowledge to customers. by Jennifer Polanz The entire planet seems to be on a shift toward "green" living. Because of the fairly recent change in the zeitgeist, many garden center retailers have been taking the opportunity to look at what they're selling and ask, "Is this what my customers are looking for?" But to carry new lines of products that are either certified organic, natural or sustainable, the challenge becomes training the employees in the benefits of said products to pass that along to the customers. We asked a few retailers who have been in the business of selling earth-friendly products to provide some helpful hints on how to get employees up to speed. Straight From The Source Some retailers let their employees take home samples of natural and organic products to try. This helps them become more confident about recommending the products to their customers. Many retailers have brought in specialists or representatives from earth-friendly product manufacturers to provide detailed information about these types of products. One example is Rockledge Gardens in Rockledge, Fla., which brought in Suzanne Wainwright-Evans of Buglady Consulting, a well-known, industry specialist in natural pest control. "Our philosophy is for the safest and most earth-friendly options for nutrition and pest control," says Theresa Riley, co-owner of Rockledge Gardens. "We believe in integrated pest management, which includes respect and appreciation for the natural order of things. We try to train our staff and customers that most insects are actually beneficial, or at the very least, benign. "One thing that Suzanne did for us when she was here was to categorize all of the products that we sell for nutrition and pest control. She then charted them according to what they control from friendliest to the environment to most harmful. There are very few symptoms that require the stronger controls. We have shared this chart with all employees." Merrideth Jiles, garden center manager of The Great Outdoors in South Austin, Texas, uses written material from Grow Green, a city organization that promotes organic and natural methods of pest control and fertilization. He, too, brings in industry members and company representatives to speak to employees about the products they will sell. Hiring From The Start Though it's not necessary to hire someone with an extensive background in organic or natural products, several retailers say they state their philosophy upfront and fi nd many times the hiree feels the same way. "We seem to be attracting many folks to our business who already share our philosophy, and when they express it during our job fairs or an interview, it certainly gives that applicant a leg up," says Skip Shorb, owner of American Plant Food Co. in Bethesda, Md. "But we really are looking for 'people' people, and most of them adapt quickly to our philosophy." John Dromgoole, owner of The Natural Gardener in Austin, Texas, agrees. "They don't have to know everything to be hired here, but we find out they have a basic knowledge of what we're doing here."
Defining Green
Several terms get thrown about when talking about the green movement in horticulture. We asked several retailers what they thought the following three terms meant. Here are some of the answers: Organic This one is more cut-and-dried than the rest. Several retailers said organic is a product that is certified either by a state or a body like OMRI. Also, another retailer said organic refers to a carbon-based product. Natural This one is a bit trickier. In fact, one retailer said the word 'natural' gets abused because it doesn't have a true definition when applied to horticulture products. Several said it refers to ingredients that are naturally occurring in the environment with little or no human processing. Two of the retailers make their own products and label them natural, even though they could be certified organic. They both said the expense to have them certified would only translate to a higher price on the product, and wouldn't increase sales or make the product any better. Sustainable This term relates to the product's ability to renew or carry on, says one retailer. Another says the sustainability movement is about creating a "softer" living or growing space. And finally, one retailer says sustainability means the practice can continue without exhausting the resources the Earth has to offer. He quoted Ghandi in his response: "The Earth has enough for man's need, but not enough for man's greed."
As long as they have an interest and a desire to learn, he says, they can't go wrong. "Many have no clue when they get here and they leave as ambassadors." Once Shorb hires, much of the employee orientation program is built around the decision seven years ago to sell natural and organic products and be a beacon for green living. "Once a year we close for a day (in January) and present Earthwise University," he adds." This is an all-day program around organics, sustainability and customer service." Do As I Do Several of these garden centers also train employees simply by living what they preach. Dromgoole has a garden master named Roger Igo, who takes care of the many display gardens on the 8-acre retail site. The display gardens are all managed organically and naturally, so employees spend time with Roger to watch how he uses certain products and what the effect is on the plants. "He explains stuff as he's working, and they're sponges," Dromgoole says of the employees. "Pretty soon they have reallife experience." Riley says Rockledge Gardens allows employees to take natural and organic products home to use. That way they, too, can see first-hand how effective the product is. Shorb sent more than half his staff to a three-day seminar on earth-friendly alternatives and de-toxifying and feeding the soil. He also sent one employee to a three-day seminar on how to make compost. Why It's Vital To Train Retailers who begin to delve into the world of organic, natural and sustainable products must keep employees knowledgeable to ensure the products are being used properly. Dromgoole says if employees tell customers incorrect information, it can mean an unsuccessful gardening experience, and not only will they stop gardening organically, but they'll stop shopping at your garden center. Customer success is imperative, and Jiles says a well-trained employee absolutely equates to better sales. "You have to believe in what you sell," he says. "I encourage employees to use these products themselves, give away samples to them, and use most of what we sell around the nursery when necessary. If they see it work, then they can be confident recommending it to others." Jennifer Polanz is a freelance writer based in the Cleveland area. She can be reached at jepolanz@gmail.com
