Fair Trade investigates indigenous ingredients

Fair Trade investigates indigenous ingredients

Indigenous communities supplying local ingredients such as Kakadu plum and bush tomato to cosmetic producers overseas may soon be certified under the international Fair Trade Agreement.

If the certification goes ahead, it will be the first time the standard will be applied to communities living in a developed nation, according to a report by CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com.

The first cosmetics company to use the Fair Trade label on indigenous ingredients will most likely be Swiss-based Cosmetochem who manufacture and market the Outback Spirit Botanicals range.

Until now fair trade certification has been focused on third world producers in third world countries,” says Outback Spirit’s Juleigh Robbbins. But we have come to appreciate that fair-trade has the capacity to improve the lives and outcome for …indigenous people that live in first world countries, like Australian Aboriginal people.”

Kakadu plum and bush tomato are the first two ingredients to be investigated for certification but, if successful, many other indigenous ingredients could follow.

The certification process could take up to two years.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010