Growers: Is Sustainable Certification Worth It?

Based on surveys of 112 commercial flower growers, the ability to recoup the cost of being certified is the growers' chief concern. The floriculture industry's profits have not always kept up with costs in the last decade, and most growers are unwilling to pay thousands of dollars for something that hasn't been proven to bring a return on investment.

 

Purdue University's Roberto Lopez and Jennifer Dennis, assistant professors of horticulture, and Maria Marshall, an assistant professor of agricultural economics, found that nearly two-thirds of U.S. growers aren't interested in spending the time and money to become certified as sustainable. One-third hadn't even heard of certification organizations such as Veriflora and MPS, which can charge thousands of dollars for certifications.

Based on surveys of 112 commercial flower growers, Lopez said the ability to recoup the cost of being certified is the growers' chief concern. In the last decade, poinsettias, for example, have increased a little more than 13 percent in price, but the cost of natural gas has more than doubled. Growers with thin profit margins are concerned about spending on a certification that isn't guaranteed to raise profits.

Converting to a sustainable technology or practice - water recycling systems, biological instead of chemical controls or alternative energy sources - can be costly. Using some of the technology incorrectly also could lead to losses, for example if recycled water spreads disease. Lopez said the market for sustainable products is growing, however. He said about $230 billion is spent each year on socially and environmentally responsible products. Lopez said growers were interested in seeing objective research data on how becoming certified as sustainable would increase profits. He said his future research would focus on that area. The Ball Horticultural Company and a Purdue Mission Oriented Grant funded the research.