Ethical & Environmental
APH aims to contribute to a better every day life for all part involved in the process of commercializing fresh-cut flowers. We believe in long term business relations with suppliers who operate in full compliance with the basic human rights, and with respect of the same moral and ethical values to which we give the utmost importance ourselves.
Further, the relationship with our suppliers include a common effort through active awareness and choices towards environmental-friendly production, in order to minimize negative consequences that producing flowers otherwise may generate. This is a long, sometimes difficult and demanding procedure, but the result is our common future.
Purchase & Supply
In the context of these ambitions, the choice of suppliers is a great responsibility. Our business idea it to cut unnecessary links in the dustribution chain. Therefore most of our purchases are made directly from the grower. When accesing the open market, we make sure our intermadiate have the same requests towards their suppliers on ethical and environmental issues, as we have on ours. All our suppliers are obliged to guarantee they operate in respect to the following requiments on employments standards. Child labour. Employment of workers must meet the applicable legal minimum age, requirement of their contry or at least 15 years of age. Forced labour. No forced labour in any form may be used. Discrimination and harassment. No employee of APH supplieers shall be subject to workplace discrimination, harassment or abuse. Health and safety. The suppliers must comply with all applicable laws regarding the provision of a safe, hygienic and healthy working environment, preventing workplace injuries and illnesses and train employees to use safe workplace practices. Freedon of association. Employers shall recognize and respect the right of employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining. Employment conditions. Wages and benefits must meet standards of local law. These demands are based upon UN and ILO conventions.
Certifications
In 2006 APH applied for membership with FFP – Fair Flowers Fair Plants – an international brand that guarantees respect of ethical and environmental issues in the whole distribution chain, from the grower to the consumer. Alongside with this we were accepted as a licencee of Rättvisemärkt / Fair Trade in early 2007. Subsequently, for Valentine´s day 2007, APH was one of the first companies in the world to commercialize FFP labeled flowers, as well as one of the few in Sweden to supply Fair Trade / Rättvisemärkt labeled roses. Suppliers to APH are certified by at least one of the following organizations that we have found sharing our ambitions on important issues.
MPS
MPS, milieuplan siertelt. initially a dutch organization with purpose to control that plantations over the world follow the model of established european laws and rules regarding use of pesticides, fertilizers, energy sources, water and waste.
MPS further has a social certification stating that minimum wages and rules of working conditions are fulfilled.
www.my-mps.com
FLP
Flower label program. A german program with focus on the consumer certifying growers who addict to its criterias that are established by clerical organizations and worker unions.
www.flower-label-program.com
KFC
Kenya Flower Council. A national certification with the same criterias as MPS and FLP, but with a more severe application.
www.kenyaflowers.co.ke
Flore Verde
www.colombianflowers.com
BRO
The BRO certification covers the above listed acknowledged and highly respected organizations of certification of todays´s flower industry. The goal is to develop a standard of criterias, under one brand, and make it easier to control the producers of flowers anywhere in the world.
www.bro-cert.se
BRO will soon be replaced by…
FFP – Fair Flowers Fair Plants
International consumer labeling. A new international initiative to stimulate the production and sales of flowers and plants cultivaded in a substainable manner. Flowers that are presented to consumers under the label FFP are grown in a way that respects people and the invironment.
www.fairflowersfairplants.com
FFP accepts as merbers all certification organizations that fulfill the same FFP standard requirements FFP itself do not certify and producers. THe following certification organizations, some currently under the BRO umbrella, have applied for membership in FFP:
Flor Verde, Colombia
Flor Ecuador
KFC, Kenya
MPS, International
Certain FLP-producers
Fair Trade / Rättvisemärkt
The criterias are based on the United Nation´s declaration of human rights as well as the basic ILO conventions. The idea is to ensure a stable base of development for both growers and empoyees by guarantee a fair minimum price for the product and furtherlooking relationships, in order to avoid that world market conditions interfere with the abovementioned criterias.
www.rattvisemarkt.se
Control & Follow up
Control units from all the abovementioned organizations and independent inspectors are regularly visiting the producers. Their visits also include the collection of important information that helps to understand the changements and problematics. APH assists and sustains the suppliers in the project to make our commitments florish into practical results in terms of social and environmental improvements. As we make the point to create the basic conditions for our future cooperation with our suppliers, moral and ethical aspects are taken in as high consideration as e.g. assortment and logistics. This is a great challenge, reason to why we work out a plan together on how to more forward in a possible way where every single step counts.
Conslusion
Kenya is a contry that suffers from plurious difficulties; aids, malaria, corruption and an unemployment rate higher that 50%. Informing our consumers about these conditions and encouraging them to buy Kenyan roses will contribute actively to help a country that most of all needs jobs and revenues. The flower industry is seen by the kenyan people as a greate opportunity towards a better future. undoubtedly APH can do something to make that furure come closer.
THis Ehical & Environmental Code of Conduct has been elaboraded in 2007 with tha complete support of the managing board of APH.