Greetings
・development of the ELF bucket system in 2002 to popularize wet transport in buckets specially designed for cut flowers
・expansion of the wholesale area with central air-conditioning and heating in 2004, and
・active investment in information systems to promote computerized transactions.
President & CEO Tetsuya Fukunaga
Philosophy
Create enriched living spaces by creating encounters between flowers, greenery, and people.
Help the growing and diversifying floral industry to thrive and develop further.
[]Management stance
Respond to customer needs in a sensitive manner through active exchange of information and human interaction.
Actively develop advanced fields based on sound management practices and create a hopeful future.
Create a workplace where everyone can share the pride and joy of developing the company.
Corporate Information
Flower Auction Japan, Inc. (FAJ)
[]Representative President & CEO:
Tetsuya Fukunaga
[]Location:
[map]
Wholesaler in Ota Market Flower Building, Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market (Permission granted by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries)
Ornamental plants = Wholesale of ornamental gardening plants (cut flowers, pots)
[]Founding & establishment:
Established on: Oct 1, 1988
Opened on: Sep 5, 1990
Business started on: Sep 8, 1990
[]Capital:
100 million yen (unlisted)
[]No. of employees:
152 (108 men, 44 women) *Including part-timers
[]Main partners:
Suppliers: National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations & Japan Business Federation, Japan Agricultural Cooperatives, importers, individual producers
Customers: Supermarkets, home centers, garden centers, florists
Import & Export Business Division
[Import] Since 2012, we import various flowers from more than 15 countries around the world.
[Export] Since 1995, we export domestic cut flowers to the Netherlands, China, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian countries.
Fair Trade Flower
At Flower Auction Japan, Inc., we have started handling Japan’s first Fairtrade flowers as part of our activities to contribute to the international community. Fairtrade is an arrangement to support the economic and social independence of producers as well as conserve the environment by trading raw materials and products with producers at reasonable prices.
Started Fairtrade flowers as part of our CSR activities
As we want many consumers to know what Fairtrade means, we became the first company in Japan, and 15th company in the world, to register with the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO; Germany) to import and process ornamental plant products.We will donate all the proceeds from these ornamental plant products to a wide range of CSR activities such as children’s education and hospital construction.
What is Fairtrade?
Choosing Fairtrade flowers is a small way of how we can give back to the person who grew the beautiful flowers in a safe manner as well as Mother Earth.
Fairtrade products are produced in a total of 45 countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and 433 production associations have registered as Fairtrade producers (as of January 2005). A total of 20 countries, including almost all of Europe, the United States, Canada, and Japan, are currently participating in Fairtrade. While Fairtrade initiatives have just begun in Japan, they are already widely recognized across the world as CSR activities.
[]Highly transparent Fairtrade
The Fairtrade Label Movement began in the Netherlands in 1989 and in Germany in 1992. In 1997, a unified organization called the FLO (Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International) was established. The role of the FLO is to set international standards for Fairtrade, allow participating vendors to use the Fairtrade Label, and conduct audit for producers and consumers so as to ensure that the standards are being kept.
To achieve highly transparent Fairtrade , national-level organizations in each country (Fairtrade Label Japan in Japan) conclude license agreements with domestic sellers, manage the licenses, mediate between sellers and the FLO and producers, as well as support their local producers.
[]Fairtrade label
Fairtrade certified farms carry out production activities based on the following principles.
Guarantee Fairtrade prices for producers
* Guarantee purchase price: We purchase and import from them at fixed prices.
* Premium payments for support: We additionally pay them 8% of the local selling price of bouquets and 12% of the selling price of individual roses .
Guarantee the social development of producers
* The producers union conduct activities in a democratic and transparent manner.
* We will use part of the profits earned through Fairtrade for CSR projects.
Example: Projects like building wells or schools.
Guarantee the economic development of producers
* Produced products meet the quality standards for export.
* We will use part of the profits earned through Fairtrade for economic development activities.
Example: Preparing necessary equipment and facilities, etc.
Guarantee the working environment and working conditions of producers
* They are to observe the working conditions set by the ILO (International Labour Organization).
* Prohibition of forced labor and child labor(For child labor, family labor is permitted within the scope where their education and growth are not hindered.)
* Workers have the right to collective bargaining
Guarantee the environmental conservation of the production area
* They are to comply with international regulations regarding the use of chemicals, water quality conservation, forest conservation, soil conservation, and waste handling.
Fair trade flowers are traded with a guaranteed purchase price to the producer, and farms receive a certain incentive payment. The small pleasure of decorating your room with beautiful flowers actually improves the lives of many people.
Would you like to participate in an international cooperation with Fairtrade flowers?
■For inquiries, please contact the Cut Flower Division
■For inquiries regarding Fairtrade: Fairtrade Label Japan (Specified NPO)