Ethical ingredients sourcing gets boost from grant money

The Union, which aims to support the ethical trade in biodiversity based products, is offering up to €20,000 to its trading members to help them comply with the organisation’s practices.

Speed up implementation of Union’s principles​

Trading members of the Union are given up to five years to make their business, including all their supply communities, compliant with its Ethical BioTrade practices.

“These grants can help speed up the process for one of the company’s supply communities,​” explained executive director Rik Kutsch Lojenga.

Although the money will be awarded to the company, it is to be spent at the community level, he said.

Designed to help cover the costs of implementing the Ethical BioTrade practices, grants can be spent on scientific research on the sustainability of the used species, community consultation, and legal advice regarding the access to source species and benefit sharing.

Ongoing project​

The grants are part of the Union’s Ethical BioTrade Community Programme and a second call for proposals will be made in the autumn.

A total of €200,000 will be awarded in 2009, funded by the Dutch DOEN Foundation and the International Finance Corporation, with similar plans for subsequent years, according to Lojenga.

The executive director of the Union hopes that by offering these grants, potential members will realise the support offered by the Union to companies wishing to comply with the Ethical BioTrade principles.

In addition, he explained that as companies are not always used to making grant applications, help can be offered by the Union if necessary.

For the first round of applications, the deadline for which is June 19, priority will be given to those with the highest number of community beneficiaries and volumes of native plants traded, as well as the highest income generated in relation to the grant amount and the biodiversity significance to the ecosystem involved.