Evonik out with fair trade baobab oil in collaboration with UN Convention to Combat Desertification

01 Dec 2023 --- Specialty chemicals provider Evonik unveils Ecohance Soft Baobab oil. Refined from the non-edible seeds of the baobab fruit, it is touted as an eco-friendly addition to Evonik’s Ecohance program in a circular solution for the cosmetics industry.

Collaborating with the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and endorsing the Great Green Wall Initiative, Evonik sources high-quality baobab oil from the Sahel region of Ghana. The Great Green Wall Initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land that stretches 8,000 km across Africa, sequester 250 million tons of carbon and create 10 million green jobs by 2030.

The initiative ensures the conservation of the local ecosystem and contributes to the region’s social and economic projects. The baobab oil used in Ecohance Soft Baobab has earned certification from the FairWild Foundation, validating the fulfillment of sustainable and social criteria for wild plant collection.

Baobab trees, growing on poor soil and resilient to heat and drought, are essential in preventing desertification in the Sahel. The wild harvest of baobab fruits for Ecohance Soft Baobab is traceable down to the harvester, contributing to preserving these essential trees.

Versatile applications
Evonik promotes Ecohance Soft Baobab by highlighting its versatility. It has applications in various natural cosmetic formulations such as hand creams, hair conditioners and body butters. Ecohance Soft Baobab oil is the latest addition to Evonik’s sustainable beauty solutions.

Through its Ecohance program, Evonik addresses the growing demand for sustainable and high-performing natural products in the cosmetics industry.

Ecohance Soft Baobab joins the ranks of solutions such as Ecohance Care PS3, an olive oil residue-based emulsifier, and Ecohance Remo XP, an eco-friendly multifunctional thickener.

The Ecohance program, created in 2019, is designed to boost sustainable solutions. “It ensures the multiplication and enhancement of next-generation alternative feedstock and takes the environment along the value chain with additional benefits and performance,” outlines Evonik.

Transparency and traceability
Ecohance Soft Baobab’s FairWild certification adheres to 11 principles and 29 criteria addressing ecological, social and economic requirements for sustainable wild collection.

FairWild certification helps buyers — from ingredient traders to consumers — know they are dealing with legally, ethically and sustainably harvested products. The certificate also proves the outcome is fair trade which means benefits across the value chain including local communities harvesting the wild plants.Baobab trees in the Sahel region are guardians against desertification.

“Ecohance Soft Baobab is a perfect example of how we uphold our core values of environmental and social responsibility,” says Yann d’Hervé, head of Evonik’s Care Solutions business line.

“We’ve partnered with strong allies to build a brand-new supply chain, which allows our cosmetic customers to meet the growing demand for sustainable, high-performing natural products.”

Evonik’s business is trying to be a preferred sustainable specialties partner in the cosmetic industry. By reducing carbon footprints and enhancing ecological and social handprints across the value chain, Evonik hopes to shape the future of sustainable beauty solutions.

In other sustainable sourcing news, BASF, The Estée Lauder Companies, RSPO and The Solidaridad Network accredited 313 smallholder farmers in Way Kanan Regency, Lampung, Indonesia, and provided training on making sustainable palm oil farming education more widely accessible

In a two-part interview, Personal Care Insights spoke with the marketing innovation manager at Cargill Beauty, on how its latest Jojoba Promise program improves sustainable cultivation and what technologies are involved in the farming.

By Venya Patel

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