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| Organic Integrity
in Body
Care:
When the
brand
name says
"Organics,"
be sure
to check
the ingredients...
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more |
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Coconut Oil from Sri Lanka |
Fair Trade Coconut Benefits Take Root:
Update from Sri Lanka
by Gero Leson, Director of Special Operations
Coconut Triangle, Sri Lanka — In the spirit of Dr. Emmanuel Bronner's vision of Constructive Capitalism (sharing profits with the Earth and the workers from which you make them), in 2005 the Bronner family initiated a complex mission to source all of our major ingredients from Fair Trade and organic sources. The simple idea is that everyone along the supply chain receives fair compensation, and farming and processing are done in a way that minimizes harm to the environment. Now three years later, our hard work is paying off. Dr. Gero Leson, an environmental scientist who coordinates Dr. Bronner's Fair Trade / Organic supply projects, reports on the success of our Fair Trade coconut project.
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Our organic coconut oil, with its unmatched lauric acid content that gives our soaps such a rich cleansing lather, now comes from Sri Lanka. Our subsidiary Serendipol (Pvt) Ltd. took over an existing coconut processing factory in Sri Lanka’s “Coconut Triangle” region, improved buildings, installed new processing technology, and helped convert about 300 coconut farms (encompassing 4,000 acres total) to organic practices. From small subsistence farms of 2-5 acres to mid-sized family farms of 100 acres or more, our farmers symbolize how Sri Lanka grows its most popular food crop — and also how past lack of stewardship has eroded soil fertility and farm profitability, while threatening a traditional industry and important rural employer. Because Dr. Bronner’s takes organic farming seriously, Serendipol produces, finances and supplies organic fertilizer at cost, thus helping our growers increase their yields by 30-50%. Higher yields, along with the organic premium we pay, motivate them to improve land stewardship and working conditions for their mostly casual workers. Thus, our project is helping to revitalize an industry that has deteriorated in past decades but has the potential to give food and fair employment to a large population in rural Sri Lanka. In addition to supplying Dr. Bronner’s needs, Serendipol also markets its food grade oil to select socially-responsible companies. Because demand for the oil is growing fast, we expect to expand our contract acreage to 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) by 2010.
 Working conditions and benefits for Serendipol's factory workers are excellent. Fair compensation of our growing staff, good working conditions and dialog between workers and management, along with benefits such as health insurance and meal subsidies, create a great working atmosphere that easily attracts workers from the surrounding villages. Serendipol also pays a Fair Trade premium on all purchases of nuts and factory labor into a fund for health, education, sustainable agriculture and local development. With a projected capacity of more than 2,000 metric tons per year of virgin oil plus food grade seedcake, the project demonstrates that producing in a fair, transparent and sustainable manner can also be profitable.
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| Are Dr. Bronner’s Tropical Oils produced “sustainably”? |
Some of our customers are concerned that the palm and coconuts oils we use in our soaps may come from plantations that were established on recently cleared tropical forestland or otherwise contribute to environmental destruction. They don’t.
As with any other crop, it’s not what you grow but how you grow it. For one, all growers we purchase from are certified organic. This means that no agrochemicals are used (chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides) and soil fertility is replenished by natural means - compost, manure, mulching with crop residues. The production of our oils also does not contribute to deforestation. The palm oil comes from about 1,000 acres of smallholdings in Ghana that were established decades ago. Our coconut oil comes from some 400 small to mid size farms in Sri Lanka, most of which have been in the owners’ family for generations. We encourage the growers to intercrop with other beneficial species and supply organic fertilizer at a subsidy. This improves soil fertility, yields and profitability of small farms – and allows them to compete with plantations.
By having our entire supply chain certified organic and fair trade we also want to demonstrate that one can produce any crop - and the products made from them –sustainably. |
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| “Our projects also show that global Fair Trade can foster direct trade relationships between small partner firms in developing countries — not just with buyers in the West. Canaan Fair Trade buys coconut oil for its soap production from Serendipol, and their olive oil will be refined by our Fair Trade organic palm oil partner in Ghana. Exchange of field officers between the projects in Sri Lanka and Ghana will transfer knowledge on organic practices and maintenance of organic integrity between these two countries that have many similarities — thus promoting cultural exchange and understanding. Hands-on participation of friends from Europe and the U.S. (architects, system designers and construction experts, for example) also offered great opportunities for direct cooperation between people from the global North and South — while working up a sweat.” |
Gero Leson
Director of Special Operations
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps |
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