FairWild Standard for sustainable use of wild medicinal plants highlighted at traditional Chinese medicine Congress

World Congress of Chinese Medicine delegates who met earlier this month in the USASanta Clara, California, USA, October 2013—More than 1,000 scholars, experts and practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) met last month in Santa Clara at the 10th World Congress of Chinese Medicine (WCCM) and the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS).

Themed with “Co-operation between Eastern and Western Medicine, better health services for people around the world”, WCCM 2013 celebrated the global growth and development of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), participants exchanged experiences in medicine development, including the latest updates in relevant legislation, education, clinical practice and research.

The FairWild Standard was highlighted during the event as part of a dedicated session on sustainable sourcing and fair trade in TCM wild plant ingredients.

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Engaging the private sector in sustainable management of medicinal plants in China

Participants at a meeting to begin implementation of a project engaging the private sector in sustainable management of medicinal plants Sun Ping/Wecome Pharmaceutical Ltd.Beijing, China, 23 August 2013—How can companies trading in and manufacturing Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) products in China become more sustainable in their management of medicinal plants supply chains? What are the current harvesting and trade practices in the TCM industry in China? How can the FairWild Standard support the shift towards sustainability in harvesting and trade?  

These were some of the questions discussed at a workshop held earlier this month in Beijing that brought together TRAFFIC, the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies (WFCMS), Wecome Pharmaceutical Ltd and the WWF China Programme Office.

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Consumer campaign marketing FairWild product wins sustainability award

At the awards ceremony (l to r): Tim Westwell (Pukka Herbs), Diane Rogers (WWF-UK), Kat North & Alison Wilde (Pukka Herbs) and Anastasia Timoshyna (TRAFFIC / FairWild)London, UK, 11th July 2013—A consumer campaign promoting the first product with FairWild-certified ingredients on the UK market, Pukka Herbs’ peppermint and licorice tea, has won the inaugural 2degrees Sustainability Champions Awards.

Pukka Herbs picked up the External Communications category award for their “Create a Beautiful World” campaign launched almost 12 months ago, in recognition of their dedication to ethical and sustainable business practices.

The campaign beat off stiff competition and won the award for work carried out jointly with WWF UK and the FairWild Foundation to raise funds and awareness for conservation projects around the globe.

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Medicinal plant trade highlighted at Organic Marketing Forum, Warsaw

Warsaw, Poland, June 2013—Participants at the Organic Marketing Forum (OMF) European East-West Organic Trade Exhibition held earlier this month in Warsaw, Poland, learned about use of the FairWild Standard A Ukranian stand at the recent Organic Marketing Forum held in Poland © TRAFFICfor sustainable collection and fair trade in wild plant ingredients and heard some recent highlights from the Traditional and Wild project focusing on the use of medicinal plants in Central Europe.

The Organic Marketing Forum is an annual international business to business exhibition and networking and training event for those involved in organic trade, including the trade in wild plant products and ingredients—producers, manufacturers, traders, NGOs, standard-setters, certifiers alike from Eastern and Western Europe. This year, participants from 28 countries attended.

The networking event focused on strengthening co-operation between organic businesses in Central and Eastern Europe and promoting innovative solutions for sustainable marketing strategies in the organic sector.

Kristina Rodina, TRAFFIC’s Medicinal Plant Officer spoke about the FairWild Standard and certification system for the sustainable management and collection of wild plants. She explained how following the Standard had helped shape the Traditional and Wild project in Central Europe, including trainings on plant collection and use, building up entrepreneurial skills and employment opportunities for local people.

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FairWild-certified Frankincense makes its debut

Collectors of Frankincense resin in Merille, Kenya. © Colin WinterLondon, UK, 2nd July 2013—Frankincense resin from Merille, Kenya, forms the basis for the first cosmetics product to be retailed in the UK containing FairWild-certified ingredients.

The Frankincense Intense (TM) product, launched today by Neal’s Yard Remedies, contains a blend of Frankincense oils from three tree species. Two of them, Commiphora confusa and Boswellia neglecta, are from organic and FairWild-certified sources in Kenya, where they are wild-harvested from semi-desert arid lands characterised by Commiphora, Boswelia and Acacia species.

The company producing the resin was FairWild-certified after demonstrating how it met the initial requirements for implementing the FairWild Standard for sustainable collection and fair trade in wild plant ingredients.

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