The Consumer Goods Forum's (CGF) Sustainable Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) has announced that the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporter Association (EHPEA) has submitted its Code of Practice for Sustainable Flower Production application for the SSCI benchmarking.
This marks a significant milestone for EHPEA as it seeks SSCI Recognition, demonstrating its alignment with industry expectations for third-party social compliance programs within the SSCI's Primary Production scope for social sustainability.
To date, the SSCI has recognized five schemes, and EHPEA joins five additional schemes currently in progress for recognition. Through this benchmarking process, SSCI continues its commitment to building trust in sustainability standards by recognizing programs that uphold key criteria set by leading industry stakeholders.
Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) is a business membership organization that was established in 2002. It is an organization meant to promote the interest of its members who are engaged in the production and export of cut flowers, fruit, vegetables, herbs, cuttings as well as vegetable seeds.
Currently, EHPEA has 126 members and it has been relentlessly contributing to the horticulture industry boom in Ethiopia and effectively representing the interests of its members locally and globally.
The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association Code of Practice is the result of an initiative taken by the sector to introduce a voluntary system of continuous professional and technical development, monitoring and self-regulation into the sector and is designed to address market and civil society concerns about standards for social and environmental performance in the sector and also to guide the sustainable development of the sector.
It consists of three levels of excellence allowing Ethiopian flower and ornamental plant farms to be rewarded at each stage of their process towards developing more sustainable management practices within the chain. Each level will be recognized by EHPEA through a certificate.
The SSCI Benchmark is a comprehensive process that recognizes which schemes cover key sustainability criteria and apply relevant verification practices. The process revolves around a first self-assessment undertaken by the scheme, followed by a review by an independent expert, office visits, and a public consultation. The methodology also includes opportunities for the applicant to take corrective actions if and when needed.
Source: The Consumer Goods Forum.