Our Commitment To A Sustainable Future With The #WeUseWild Pledge For Ethical Sourcing Of Wild Plants

Written by Finn Rautenbach

Afrigetics Botanicals was founded on the principles of enriching the cultural and environmental vigour within Southern Africa through the trade of sustainably sourced indigenous medicinal plants. We believe in the art of wildcrafting. This practice has played an integral role in intertwining the lives of humans into our natural surroundings and continues to do so today. Through the collaborative work of indigenous knowledge holders, ethical businesses, storytellers, conservation bodies, and users of wild plants our wish is for the impact of this art to grow.?

Working on the ground with wildcrafters, a key focus of Afrigetics Botanicals has been exploring ways to improve the regeneration of wild harvested plants, minimise the impact harvesting has on the landscape, and ensure that both wildcrafters and indigenous knowledge holders are given the remuneration and respect they deserve. As a company supplying herbal products, these are integral areas of focus, however, there is another important piece to the puzzle: consumer awareness.?

Plants are found everywhere, in our medicines, cosmetics, supplements, and spices. An estimated 30 000 plant species are recorded worldwide to be commonly used for medicinal and aromatic purposes. Of these plants, 60-90% are collected from the wild! As a user of plant products, this may be an overwhelming statistic. Thankfully, organizations such as TRAFFIC have committed themselves to compile easily digestible consumer education resources.?

Recently, TRAFFIC released a resource called WildCheck. This site provides consumers with an objective source of information on the environmental and social issues regarding wild-harvested plants and how best to source ethically collected species. The WildCheck Report focuses on twelve widely used wild plants (‘the wild dozen’) and takes a deep look into their supply chains. Together with WildCheck, the #WeUseWild Pledge was launched. This pledge is a voluntary commitment for sourcing companies to align their efforts towards an ethical future for the wild plants and wildcrafters they work with. This pledge also acts as a guide for users of wild plants to find sustainably sourced wild plants.?

As a company founded on and striving towards conservation principles, we are thrilled to have signed the #WeUseWild Pledge. We hope that commitments such as these will help guide wild crafting organizations and wild plant users alike toward a bright future for the precious plants that we all benefit from daily. The perseverance of in-tact wild spaces is inherently linked to the physical and emotional health of every one of us. Wild crafters retaining and regaining their roles as custodians of nature undoubtedly play an important role in ensuring our children can experience the innumerable benefits we have had the privilege to experience within our lifetimes.

#wildcrafting #environmentalscience #pledge #afrigetics?#afrigeticsbotanicals?#pelargoniumsidoides?#environmentalsustainability?#organicstandard?#WeUseWild?#FairwildFoundation?#wildherbs?#africanherbs?#traditionalmedicine?#traditionalsystems?#traditionalknowledge?#wildharvested?#sustainableharvesting?#sustainability