84k)PhytoTrade Africa: adding life to trade
At PhytoTrade Africa, we have made a genuine, long-term commitment to the principles of Fair Trade. Our partners and clients can be safe in the knowledge that by purchasing PhytoTrade Africa products, you will be providing support to communities that will re-invest that money in themselves; from paying for school uniforms, to school fees, or even a school.
- All PhytoTrade Africa members sign the Fair Trade Charter (
183k) - PhytoTrade Africa is an approved member of IFAT (International Fair Trade Association) www.ifat.org
- PhytoTrade Africa provides its clients with a ‘certificate of guarantee’ describing the Fair Trade criteria that our members meet.
All products supplied by PhytoTrade Africa’s members are:
Wild harvested
Through extensive research, PhytoTrade Africa has chosen seven indigenous tree species, each producing fruits containing valuable constituents for the cosmetics industry. These fruits are naturally organic and have been sustainably harvested by marginalised rural producers for generations. By creating viable and ethical markets for these products, local value is added, and the traditional culture associated with their usage is secured. In this way, rural producer’s livelihoods and food security is enhanced, and the trees are conserved.
Top of PageFrom educated and empowered producers
PhytoTrade Africa’s members are supported by a dynamic management team who provide advice and training on a wide variety of key topics including quality standards; export procedures; market penetration strategies; business planning; certification criteria; health and safety issues; cosmetic formulation; oil processing; supply chain management; and regulatory environments . In addition, the welfare of each producer is considered with fair prices paid and long-term buyer relationships nurtured.
Within equitable relationships
The communities that harvest these products are organised groupings of rural producers that have the proven business capability to manage production. The roots of every product are firmly planted with these communities and for this reason all intellectual property and genetic rights are protected, and any patents that may arise from the research and development are co-owned through the supply chain. Through the creation of co-ordinated partnerships linking producers, regional organisations, governments and industry, we ensure that benefit-sharing agreements as envisaged under the Convention on Biodiversity are developed and adhered to.
Implications for industry
- We supply quality ingredients
- Every ingredient has a rich African cultural heritage
- Every producer has been fairly treated
- Every material has been sustainably harvested
At PhytoTrade Africa, we believe that Fair Trade and Organic certification rules and criteria are not wholly appropriate for the context of wild harvested indigenous plants produced by our members. In general, these standards have been developed for the European context and are only suited to commodities (such as coffee and tea) with well established trade chains and consumer products. To this end we are actively engaged in efforts to develop standards that are appropriate to rural production and processing in Africa.