Update October 2025: Please note that the development of the Social Responsibility (flowers and ornamentals) standard has been paused until further notice. We will update this page with a new timeline when the project is restarted. Thank you for your understanding.

GLOBALG.A.P. developed this standard to target important social and labor conditions in flowers and ornamental production in high-risk countries, as defined by the GLOBALG.A.P. Country Risk Classification Concept.

While the standard can be implemented independently, it has been designed to combine with the IFA standard for flowers and ornamentals (v6 Smart) and the Impact Driven Approach add-on or Module. 

It aims to benchmark to the Sustainability Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) and the social basket of the Floriculture Sustainability Initiative (FSI).

The standard includes: 

• Social management system 

• Human and labor rights  

• Working conditions 

• Health and safety  

• Community impacts

The content has been drafted based on a combination of well-consulted and approved principles from IFA v6 workers’ health and safety section, GRASP v2, as well as outstanding requirements from SSCI.

Certification bodies currently approved to audit IFA for plants will be able to apply for an extension to gain approval to audit to the new Social Responsibility standard for flowers and ornamentals. Training will be offered in quarter 3 of 2025.

CB auditors (farm and QMS auditors) of this standard shall comply with the following training and qualification requirements:

• Sufficient knowledge and experience of current international, national and local laws and the industry’s relevant (social and/or environmental) best practices in the FO sector.

• Successful completion of an accredited lead auditor training on relevant standards (e.g SA 8000 for social).

• Participation as an observer auditor under training in social audits at different organizations, of which at least three assessments shall be as the acting lead auditor under supervision (shadow audits).

• Participation in a minimum of 20 social compliance audit days, (as acting lead auditor or as an observer).

• 5 years of related work experience in the scheme’s field or a total of 5 years of a combination of: - Related work experience in the scheme sector or - Social compliance audits, relevant post-secondary or higher education.