This week is the first ever Fairwild Week, but what is Fairwild I hear you ask? Well, have you ever thought about where your herbs, spices and plant extracts come from? Do you know Frankincense is harvested? Or did you know FairWild elderflower comes from a bombed out village in Bosnia?
Georgina Wilson-Powell
Fri 25 Aug 2017
FairWild Week (until 28 August) is the first week dedicated to sharing some of the amazing stories behind herb and spice harvesting.
FairWild guarantees that the herbs and plants that are used in things like your herbal tea and plant based cosmetics or skincare are planted and harvested in a way that is sustainable to the planet and fair to the people who work in some of the most marginal bits of land on earth.
Around 60,000 plants species are used by people for medicinal, health or food reasons and the majority of these are collected in the wild, but often without any thought for local biodiversity, the future of the land or the impact on the community. One in five wild plant species is under threat from over-harvesting and habitat loss.
Do you know what FairWild means?
Image Pukka Herbs
The FairWild Foundation and its partners, like Pukka Herbs, look to improve the conservation and management of wild plants and look after the rural people involved in harvesting all over the world. Over 20 companies are now certified with the FairWild standard, meaning you know their herbs and plants have been sustainably grown and fairly paid for.
“We hope that this event will resonate with consumers of wild plant ingredients across the globe and inspire them to ask their retailers whether the products they are selling are produced in line with sustainability standards that protect both natural biodiversity and those involved throughout the supply chain”, says Bryony Morgan, FairWild Secretariat.
