The BGI (Association of the German flower wholesale and import trade) Association day 2019 took place on 13-14 September in Cologne, Germany. Union Fleurs’ Secretary General Sylvie Mamias participated in the 2-day conference and visits event alongside 100 BGI members and stakeholders as well as several Union Fleurs members from Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, including representatives of the various wholesale and retail levels, other industry associations and governmental agencies.
"Forming alliances" was the theme of this year's conference, which drew an inventory of the diversity of opinions on the complexities of today’s market and in what can companies do to face the coming changes.
No less than 11 speakers from the fields of economics, energy and environmental research and agri-food policy, NGOs, food and beverage industry and, of course, marketing and trade, presented their views in three thematic rounds, dealing with climate and environmental protection, global cooperation and trade, sustainable development of new sources of supply in developing and emerging countries, as well as positioning and cooperation in the value chain.
Among other topics, social issues came up in the discussions as one of the main challenges for Medium-sized companies of the German flower and plants wholesale, as well as climate change and environmental protection.
Speakers and attendees alike, pointed out several times how much transparency and communication play a central role in positioning the sector on sensible issues such as plastic waste, CO2 footprint or corporate social responsibility.
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