The cut flower business is an important industry for both Northern and Southern producing countries. The Netherlands is an important hub for global cut flower production and trade.

In the past years, various attempts have been made to make the European flower sector with its National and International  value chains more sustainable. The questions that are adressed now are "What are the barriers for sustainable market transformation and what are intervention strategies?" Based on these strategic interventions an assesment will be made of the existing sustainability standards and certification organisations.