Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) announced an uptick in producers seeking its Veriflora label for potted plants and cut flowers that have been produced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Amy Stewart, author of Flower Confidential, links the increase to consumer demand for “ecolabels” and awareness among growers that independent, third-party labels such as those offered by Emeryville-based SCS are a way to distinguish their flowers on the global market.

Growers who have been in the process of “greening” their operations for years may also be just now receiving certification. “There is no road map that tells farmers how to grow an organic rose that looks just as perfect and is priced just as affordably as the non-organic variety,” Stewart points out. It remains to be seen whether the market will reward producers certified for their efforts.