The survival and growth of the U.S. $6.5 billion commercial floriculture industry is threatened by the economic down turn, rising energy and input costs, negative consumer and media perception of its practices, increasing environmental regulations, droughts, foreign competition, and immigration and labor issues (Mateo, 2008). The environmental, economic, and social sustainability of greenhouse grown crops is in question because of the reliance on synthetic fertilizers, growth regulators, pesticides, plastic-based packaging, and energy throughout the production cycle. In 2007, it was estimated that the commercial floriculture industry in the U.S. produced over 900 billion plants in plastic pots, hanging baskets, trays, and cell packs (USDA, 2008). Plastic containers serve the role of consumer packaging, transportation container, propagation, and production receptacles and therefore must be strong, compatible with automation, horticultural uses, and can be formed to essentially any size, shape, and color (Evans and Hensley, 2004; White, 2009). The vast majority of the plastic containers, trays, greenhouse coverings, and labels used by the industry are not recycled due to a variety of economic and contamination issues.
In recent years, consumers of lawn and garden products have shown an increasing interest in environmentally friendly products. As these consumers become more environmentally conscience, we believe growers that show environmental stewardship by producing floriculture crops sustainably will gain a competitive advantage and maintain economic sustainability. This has lead to a desire for products that not only solve the needs of consumers, but are also produced and marketing using sustainable production, distribution, and marketing methods (Hall, 2009). This session will explore sustainability issues in the U.S. ornamental industry and discuss results from several studies conducted examining consumer and grower preferences related to sustainability.
