At The Flower Hub, our commitment to our people and our planet defines who we are and shapes everything we do. By nurturing both social and environmental initiatives, we aim to have a meaningful impact from responsibly sourcing cut-flowers to supporting the communities and country that nutures them. This balanced approach reflects our belief that a thriving, sustainable future depends on both protecting our planet and uplifting the people who make our work possible. As we grow, these values continue to guide us, ensuring each step we take leaves a positive mark on the world around us.
1. Responsible Sourcing with FSI
Goal: Source 90% of flowers responsibly under the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI) by 2025
Current Achievement: 76% responsibly sourced flowers on our Q3 2024 Audit
By being part of FSI our commitment to ethical and responsible sourcing is tracked quarterly, allowing us to monitor progress closely and build towards our ambitious 90% target. With the support of our valued growers, we have already reached a 76% benchmark, and each quarterly review brings us one step closer to creating an industry-leading standard in sustainable sourcing. This initiative is about more than just numbers; it’s about creating a resilient, and environmentally friendly supply chain that supports growers and protects the planet.
Responsible Sourcing means working with growers that have the same values as us within the three pillars of: SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENT and GAP (Good Agricultural Practice). They must be accredited in all three pillars to globally benchmarked standards as shown in the FSI Basket of Standards: https://www.fsi2025.com/basket/
We have been working closely with our growers to help them achieve these certifications so we can continue to work alongside each other.
2. Carbon Footprint Reduction
Objective: Continue to measure and reduce our carbon footprint
Current Achievement: our recent report shows: 0.68kg CO2 per stem shipped (inclusive of Scope 3 and all the freight)
In partnership with One Carbon World, The Flower Hub has embarked on an essential journey to measure and reduce our carbon footprint. Our data collection initiative spans all areas of operation, gathering insights into our scope 1,2 and 3 emissions to develop clear reduction strategies. By analyzing these findings, we are not only creating feasible and actionable plans to reduce emissions but also setting a transparent baseline from which we can chart our progress year by year. Our partnership with One Carbon World is helping us lay the groundwork for sustainable, lower-carbon operations that benefit both the environment and our industry.
We are delighted that our in-house operations have seen great reductions through our move towards becoming paperless. We have also improved on our data capture systems and hope next year to be looking at the complete Environmental Footprint of a stem from Cradle to Grave with the launch for the FloriPEFCRules for calculations, not just the Carbon angle.
3. Smart Packaging and Waste Reduction
Focus: Minimizing dead freight, packing reductions and optimising waste tracking
Understanding the environmental impact of waste is critical in our mission to reduce it. Our packaging initiative focuses on reducing waste and minimising dead freight, which refers to the unnecessary use of transport space due to inefficient packing. This not only reduces material use but also optimises shipping and lessens our overall environmental footprint. We’ve also implemented centralised waste collection systems in our facilities, allowing us to measure and track waste accurately and support our goal of reducing plastic use. Together, these steps showcase our commitment to sustainable logistics and waste management.
4. Giving Back through CSR
Our commitment to social sustainability drives us to support the communities we serve. We have pledged to give 3% of our annual net profits to social, environmental and farm improvement projects that look after people and planet through sustainable initiatives. This year, our team visited the Imani and Faith in Action Children’s Homes, where we contributed resources to help improve the living conditions of children in challenging circumstances. These CSR efforts go beyond one-time donations; they form part of our ongoing support to uplift local communities, reflecting our values of compassion, empowerment, and social responsibility.
If you would like to work with us on any projects, please contact us here.
5. Championing Regenerative Horticulture
Focus: Knowledge share on regenerative agriculture techniques
Event: Regenerative Horticulture Day at Wildfire Farm, Naivasha
Regenerative agriculture is central to our vision for a more sustainable floriculture industry. Working with over 100 growers we have a strong voice that we believe we can use to promote change. This year, we organised a knowledge-sharing event. The Regenerative Horticulture Day, held at Wildfire Farm in Naivasha. We invited our main suppliers and other key individuals from our industry and around Kenya. The event was focused on SOIL HEALTH: highlighting best practices such as minimum tillage, composting, and crop diversity to maintain soil health and foster biodiversity. By creating a community with which we can enable, encourage and inspire we hope to equip growers with regenerative skills. This, we hope, will to create a ripple effect, encouraging long-term sustainability across the entire supply chain. As our suppliers embrace these techniques, they’ll see higher yields, better soil health, and reduced reliance on synthetic inputs. This in turn will position The Flower Hub as a proactive leader in the industry’s shift toward regenerative farming.
6. Team Unity
Event: Team-building retreat in Gilgil
Outcome: A more collaborative and aligned team
At The Flower Hub, we know that our strength lies in our people. This year’s team-building retreat in Gilgil brought us closer together. This reinforced the trust, cooperation, and unity essential to our social mission. We strengthened our team’s resilience and commitment to our shared goals through collaborative activities. This renewed sense of purpose empowers us to support each other, tackle challenges with confidence, and drive our collective vision. We had a lot of fun doing it too! With a unified team at our core, we’re equipped to make a positive impact in all that we do.
In Summary
At The Flower Hub, our commitment to environmental and social impact is more than a goal. It’s at the heart of everything we do. Each step we take, from responsible sourcing to community support, is driven by our vision to nurture people and planet. Looking ahead, we’re focused on deepening these efforts, setting ambitious goals, and sharing transparent progress. Every initiative brings us closer to a future, where our actions benefit not only our industry but the world around us. Together, we’re building a legacy of positive change, one bloom at a time.
