Developing a national accreditation strategy to drive industry alignment and adoption

Overview

Reservoir Partners led the development of a national strategy to drive adoption of the Australian Plant Production Standard (APPS), positioning it as a unified framework for quality, sustainability and biosecurity across the Greenlife industry. The work focused on aligning industry stakeholders around a clear, commercially viable pathway for long-term adoption and impact.

The Opportunity

The industry had multiple accreditation programs, including NIASA and EcoHort, but faced fragmentation and inconsistent adoption, limited awareness and understanding across stakeholders, and increasing pressure around sustainability, compliance and risk. There was a clear need to unify existing programs under a single, credible framework, strengthen industry positioning in anticipation of evolving regulatory and procurement expectations, and establish a commercially viable pathway to support long-term adoption.

Our Approach

Reservoir Partners led the strategy end-to-end, working closely with Greenlife Industry Australia and key stakeholders. We conducted industry consultation across nurseries, councils, developers and retailers, defined a clear strategic framework for APPS adoption and growth, developed a sustainability pathway aligned to emerging regulatory and market expectations, and designed a commercial model to support program viability and long-term scalability. We identified key barriers to adoption and practical solutions to address them, and positioned APPS as a unified system integrating existing programs.

The Outcome

APPS demonstrates how clear strategy, commercial design and stakeholder alignment can unify fragmented systems and position an industry for long-term growth and resilience. The work balanced strategic ambition with practical and commercial considerations, and anticipated future regulatory and market expectations without over-reliance on them.