Since its creation, Natural Origins aims to offer a botanical garden accessible to all. What would happen to the world if growing botanical ingredients were to damage natural resources?

How would it be possible to offer a botanical garden accessible to everyone if the men and the women who maintain it aren’t respected?

For these reasons amongst others, choosing sustainable ingredient sourcing is an obvious solution.

A commitment supporting sustainable development

For over ten years, Natural Origins’ teams have been working every day to offer the best botanical ingredients while fully respecting the environment and mankind.

This choice of sustainable ingredient sourcing is part of a comprehensive approach in favour of sustainable development, or as defined in the Brundtland report published by the United Nations in 1987: a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

An approach recognised by the For Life label

Natural Origins’ approach is supported by the For Life program and aims at recognising and encouraging companies’ contribution to sustainable development issues. All issues are considered by assessing their corporate environmental responsibility, their social commitment, their impact on local development and their respect for consumers.

In other words, the For Life certification is focused on all aspects related to the corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Natural Origins handles ingredient sourcing activities in the belief that it is possible to respect the environment while moving forward together and creating value. This balance needs to be built on all steps of the supply chain and involve all stakeholders, including partners, clients, suppliers, harvesters, and the local administration amongst others;

An example of sustainable ingredient sourcing: the harpagophytum chain in Namibia

The best way to illustrate the Natural Origins’ commitment to sustainable supply is to go out into the field. Let’s go to Namibia and discover fair harpagophytum sourcing!

This supply chain is based on an in-the-field partner: the Namibian company Ecoso which has been selected for its know-how, but especially for its sustainable practices.

Sustainable ingredient sourcing takes on its full meaning in the cultivation areas. The sector is committed :

• to preserving natural resources by setting up sustainable agriculture practices and by training workers;
• to protecting human rights with decent working conditions;
• to developing local and long-term employment while sustaining a community of over 4000 people;
• to ensuring the security of the end consumer by performing quality controls with emphasis paid to cultivation, storage and transport conditions of raw materials.

Would you like to know more about Natural Origins' sustainable ingredient sourcing? Download our presentation!

Sources:

• Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future, 1987.
• Fair for Life and For Life Scheme Committee, For Life : Certification Standard for social responsibility, February 2017.