Empowering and Respecting People along our Value Chain

Caring for the people we work with is a key value guiding us in everything we do. We are committed to respecting fundamental human rights in our botanical sourcing supply chain while promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our collaborative projects. We do this by empowering people and local communities through the provision of safer working conditions, fair incomes, as well as premiums to finance individual or collective projects.

Already Active for people

Gain valuable insights into the second strategic pillar of our Responsibly Active program with Charlotte and the women from an argan tree cooperative in Morocco. Experience how we are creating a positive impact for the people throughout our botanical value chains – and what we are still aiming for.

Our key actions

For the implementation of our Responsibly Active program, we are focusing on the following key actions:

Mitigation plans will be conducted for critical botanical supply chains to address potential issues regarding human rights and enable sustainable sourcing
Concrete initiatives will be implemented every year to enable diversity, equity, and inclusion in our botanical supply chains
Premiums will be implemented on targeted botanical supply chains

Our progress in 2022

We are committed to driving positive change for people – and collaborate with suppliers and NGOs to foster the inclusion of women and small holder farmers to promote diverse and equitable work. Price premiums enable additional income streams and further improvements of the local living conditions.

Sustainable Bixa

Following our ambitious goal of continuously upgrading our sourcing practices, we initiated an organic farming certification process that strengthens traceability and transparency. Thanks to fair pricing for the raw materials, the farmers of our Bixa supply chain in Burkina Faso can now rely on fair living wages. Micro-financing and training programs for women's entrepreneurship has allowed us to contribute even more to community development by opening up new income opportunities. The first round of organically certified Bixa is expected to be harvested and implemented in 2024/2025.

Check out the Progress Report 2022

Already active

Product Highlight

Hyalufix® GL

Hyalufix® GL is an aqueous extract of organic certified Galanga leaves. Our partnership with our supplier in Vietnam ensures a reliable supply chain as well as traceability and transparency to the source. A multiyear contract, commitments on price and volumes, and safe and fair working conditions are just a few of the benefits for the Galanga team.

Product Highlight

Argassential®

The anti-aging active ingredient Argassential® is based on organic certified argan pulps. It is one of three ingredients derived from our sustainable Argan Program. It aims to study the argan tree and valorize the oil and its byproducts while diversifying the revenue of the cooperatives and fostering preservation of argan forests by local populations.

Product Highlight

Lipofructyl® Argan

Derived from the hand-collected fruit of the argan tree, the moisturizing oil Lipofructyl® Argan is “Fair For Life” (FFL) certified by Ecocert. Under this Fair Trade standard, the organic certification organization evaluates the social, environmental and local impact of supply chains. It is part of our sustainable Argan Program.

Meet our heroes

Polonia, Galanga Supplier for Hyalufix® GL

In addition to organic certified agroecological production of Galanga leaves, we also considered the social impact of the partnership on the collectors. From the very beginning, our goal was to create a bond of solidarity and mutual aid between the participating women from urban and rural backgrounds. Financial and social benefits as well as a specific empowerment improve the women’s living and working conditions – and thus change the perception of rural work and life in general.
Keltouma, Cooperative President, Argan Supplier

The cooperative is constantly evolving. Everything we have achieved to date is based on the fair trade contract and our strong partnership with BASF. Raising the overall standard of living provides the foundation for healthy growth and positive long-term development of the entire community.
Latifa, Sales Manager, Argan Supplier

Our fair trade activities ensure that the women in the cooperative receive a decent wage for their work. Thanks to this, some of them were able to support their children until they reached university and graduated. This way, the cooperatives improve conaditions and prospects not only for the women but also for their families.
Fadna, Cooperative Member, Argan Supplier

I benefit a lot from the services of the cooperative – for example, when it comes to medicines, saving money and financing my own interests. I have especially profited from the literacy program. Thank God I can now write and read my name!