EHPEA, Fairtrade International given Temporary Admission Status by FSI

Temporary Admission Status has been granted to the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) & Fairtrade International by the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative, FSI shares on LinkedIn.

Following the FSI–SSCI benchmarking announcement in 2021, social standards in floriculture were given time to align with the updated, internationally recognised Consumer Goods Forum SSCI requirements in order to remain included in the FSI Basket. At that time, there was a shared expectation that the benchmarking process would be completed in 2025.

Most standards included in the FSI Basket have successfully completed this process. While it is positive that both EHPEA and Fairtrade International have initiated the SSCI benchmarking process, the agreed 2025 timeline was unfortunately not met.

For the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI), maintaining the integrity and credibility of the Basket of Standards is essential. To provide clarity and transparency for standards and all system users, a Temporary Admission Status has therefore been granted. This decision follows formal confirmation from both EHPEA and Fairtrade International to the FSI Board that they will make every effort to complete the SSCI benchmarking before 1 July 2026.

This status change has no immediate impact. Growers certified under Fairtrade International and EHPEA remain FSI-compliant for the relevant scopes during the period of Temporary Admission. Only if the SSCI benchmarking is not completed before 1 July 2026 will FSI-compliant status be affected. In that case, both schemes will be removed from the Basket until the benchmarking process is finalised.

SSCI benchmarking plays a key role in supporting social standards to align their requirements with widely recognised good social practices. It takes into account evolving legislation, societal expectations, and emerging risk areas, and helps ensure that certification leads to demonstrable improvements in working conditions.

In this context, the FSI Board's decision is intended to support the sector, safeguard credibility, and ensure a level playing field among social standards across the global floriculture industry, helping to keep the sector future-proof.