Fwd: Dr. Bronner's Fair Trade & Organic Coconut Project Update

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Dr. Bronner's Fair Trade Coconut Project Benefits Farmers and Workers in Sri Lanka

 

Vol. 3, No. 3July 23, 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In this issue of the ALL-ONE! News ...

 

Fair Trade Coconut Benefits Take Root Coconut Triangle, Sri Lanka - In the spirit of Dr. Emmanuel Bronner's vision of Constructive Capitalism (sharing profits with the Earth and the workers from which you make them), in 2005 the Bronner family initiated a complex mission to source all of our major ingredients from Fair Trade and organic sources. The simple idea is that everyone along the supply chain receives fair compensation, and farming and processing are done in a way that minimizes harm to the environment. Now three years later, our hard work is paying off. Dr. Gero Leson, an environmental scientist who coordinates Dr. Bronner's Fair Trade / Organic supply projects, reports below on the success of our Fair Trade coconut project.

"Natural" Brands with Toxins Face the Music

San Francisco, CA - The Attorney General of California has filed suit under Proposition 65 against so-called "natural" brands, such as Avalon (makers of Alba), who attach the petrochemical ethylene oxide to their cleansers, for carcinogenic 1,4-Dioxane contamination. Dr. Bronner's filed suit earlier this past April against brands like Avalon and Hain Celestial, whose products make false organic label claims, some of which tested positive for carcinogenic 1,4-Dioxane in a March Organic Consumers Association study.

 

Hemp Advances in Vermont

Montpelier, VT - Vermont became the most recent state to pass hemp farming legislation. Smart and effective grassroots organizing by Vote Hemp and the Vermont-based advocacy group Rural Vermont mobilized farmers and local businesses, many of whom pledged to buy hemp raw materials in-state if they have the opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

Update from Sri Lanka

by Gero Leson, Director of Special Operations

To establish a Fair Trade supply of organic coconut oil, the main ingredient in our soaps, Dr. Bronner's has established Serendipol (Pvt) Ltd., a Sri Lankan company. The name refers to the old name for Sri Lanka (Serendib) and the Singhalese word for coconut (Pol).

As part of its Fair Trade obligations, Serendipol pays its mill workers fair wages, as well as provides social benefits and working conditions not offered by similar operations. We have developed a very open and direct exchange with our staff to facilitate improvement. In addition to paying fair prices and wages, we also contribute a 10% Fair Trade premium, calculated on the cost of all coconut purchases and the wages paid to non-executive labor, into a Fair Trade fund. That money is used for local development projects. Our target population for development projects is complex:

 

300 smallholders and owners of family-held mid-size coconut farms, whom we selected and certified for organic production

The permanent and (predominantly) casual workers on these farms

The staff at Serendipol's oil mill (now close to 80 people).During the first year of operation, we've been ramping up production, and contributions to the Fair Trade fund already total over $70,000. Lest we spread ourselves too thin, we're initially focusing on basic programs that benefit our factory staff or that promote long-term productivity (and profitability) of coconut land. With our rather diverse group of beneficiaries, which is spread over an area with a radius of 30 miles (a long distance in rural Sri Lanka), it is also necessary to set up a structure that gives opportunity for input while balancing the needs of each group - without causing fights over money.To that end, we have done the following: 1. Set up a composting operation that has produced, since October 2007, organic fertilizer suited for coconut palms. We think that improving the soil fertility of farmers' fields, many of which have been neglected in the past, is the best way to ensure long-term productivity and profitability, and will enable farmers to pass benefits on to farm workers. It is also a great way to demonstrate to farmers the benefits of organic practices. To make the use of organic fertilizer attractive to growers, most of whom have not fertilized in years, we are now subsidizing the production of compost out of the Fair Trade fund and offer it at a price below that of chemical fertilizer. By now we have issued over 600 tons of fertilizer to about 20% of our 250+ growers. We're financing the compost for the growers, and their contribution is paid through deductions from sales. As demand for fertilizer grows, we will soon sell the fertilizer at cost, thus freeing up Fair Trade funds for other projects. In a similar way, compost production and distribution is supported in two of Dr. Bronner's other Fair Trade projects in Ghana (palm oil) and India (peppermint oil). 2. Recently formed an employees' council that develops suggestions for on- and off-site projects. As one outcome, we'll soon establish a "Welfare Society" whose membership includes the staff at Serendipol and the composting plant. These societies (co-ops / non-profits) are commonly formed in Sri Lanka to promote social goals, have their own by-laws and officers, and are outside of the control of the company. Members and officers decide on priorities, and the Fair Trade committee, which includes representatives of Serendipol, our customers and each stakeholder group, then allocates funds to select projects. The initial projects proposed by council members revolve around the immediate needs of workers, most of whom live within walking or biking distance of the plant. They include:

 

Setting up a revolving loan fund to allow staff to build or expand their houses (usually small and very simple 1-2 room structures) which are typically located in green settings with lots of trees. Typical loan volume will be $1,000.

Providing life insurance, as the obligations that come with a funeral are often beyond the means of an average family. These insurance plans are usually funded through member fees. The Fair Trade fund will partly fund the program.

Subsequent projects will focus on traditional areas, such as:

 

Education, including establishing a stipend fund for gifted kids and providing learning materials in local village schools.

Health, including screening for common illnesses like eyesight diseases and diabetes and providing necessary remedies or medical support.

Serendipol has already started several projects in the latter area, including doctor's visits twice a week for general health. These visits regularly draw crowds. To support nutritional health, we offer our staff a traditional herbal porridge for breakfast daily (green and tasty). These projects are funded out of Serendipol's operating budget, rather than from the Fair Trade fund.None of these projects is glamorous, but they respond to important needs expressed by our staff and farmers, particularly during a period of high inflation and general uncertainty in a country shaken by civil war. These projects allow us to develop working relationships with our partners whose primary interest is community development, not their own welfare. 3. Initiated a project aimed at supporting refugees, primarliy Tamil, from the war in northern Sri Lanka. Since one cannot independently work in that area without raising the Sri Lankan government's suspicion, we have partnered with the German GTZ, which has started livelihood support projects in several villages in the crisis zone, where the government has given refugees small plots of fertile but dry land - and little else. These projects are aimed at supporting small-scale agriculture and primary processing of vegetables, rice, dairy and fish. The local government also supports a shift towards organic agriculture - which is right up our alley. In the long run, we'd like to trade directly with some growers in that area. Our initial project supports the deepening of irrigation wells, along with the supply of more effcient sprinkler systems and pumps for 15 families. If cooperation with the regional government succeeds, we'll expand the program.

 

 

 

California Files Lawsuit Against Brands that Tested Positive for Carcinogenic 1,4-Dioxane in OCA Study

OAKLAND, CA - Reacting in part to a study released by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) in March of this year, but also based on their own testing, the Attorney General of California has filed a major lawsuit against body care and household-cleaning product companies whose products recently tested highest for the carcinogenic contaminant 1,4-Dioxane. Under California's "Proposition 65," consumer products that contain toxic levels of 1,4-Dioxane must have warning labels stating they may cause cancer. 1,4-Dioxane is typically produced as a byproduct when ingredients are ethoxylated with the petrochemical ethylene oxide, a process which has become standard practice for many cleansing and moisturizing products.

 

The suit, California v. Avalon Natural Products (manufacturer of the Alba brand), also names Whole Foods Market California (manufacturer of the Whole Foods 365 brand), Beaumont Products (manufacturer of the Citrus Magic brand) and Nutribiotic. (Read the full Attorney General suit here). It is unclear exactly which products manufactured by the aforementioned companies triggered the lawsuit, but all named companies have sold products that tested close to or in excess of 20 parts per million for 1,4-Dioxane in the OCA study released at the Natural Products Expo in Anaheim, CA in March. (Read the study results here).The OCA sent a letter to the four companies named in the California lawsuit to see if they are planning to change their labeling or product formulations. Only one company responded. In a letter to the OCA, Beaumont Products wrote, "Upon being notified that there was a problem with our products, we verified that the problem existed, then took immediate action." Beaumont has reformulated their products to remove the problematic ingredient, highlighting their dedication to providing safe products, in contrast to the lack of action taken by the other three companies. The California Attorney General (AG) alleges these companies should have put warning labels on products containing high levels of 1,4-Dioxane, stating that they may cause cancer. The lawsuit states that "Plaintiff alleges that each defendant has known since at least May 29, 2004 that the body washes, gels and liquid dish soaps contain 1,4-Dioxane and that persons using these products are exposed to 1,4-Dioxane." Per Proposition 65, fines for mislabeled products are as high as $2,500 per day for each violation. (FAQs about 1,4-Dioxane can be found here.) "These companies need to stop treating the inclusion of cancer-causing chemicals in their products as 'business as usual' and reformulate before consumer confidence in the natural products and organics industry is permanently damaged," says consumer activist David Steinman who conducted the OCA study and originally exposed the presence of 1,4-Dioxane in baby bubble bath products in his book Safe Trip to Eden and in a February, 2007 press conference with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.The AG's complaint states that California wants "preliminary injunctions, permanent injunctions, or other orders prohibiting the defendant(s) from exposing persons within the State of California to 1,4-Dioxane without providing clear and reasonable warnings.""The OCA's 1,4-Dioxane study in March elevated the issue of fake 'natural' and 'organic' brands that utilize petrochemicals in their formulas, and now we are seeing labeling enforcement on a scale never seen before," says OCA National Director Ronnie Cummins. "We used an independent laboratory and found that numerous 'natural' and 'organic' brands tested positive for 1,4-Dioxane, a cancer-causing contaminant resulting from the petrochemical ethylene oxide being attached to one or more ingredients."

 

 

 

 

 

Vermont Hemp Farming Bill Becomes Law

Montpelier, VT - Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, which uses hemp oil in nearly all of our products, is extremely pleased that the Vermont Secretary of State's office accepted Formal Opinion #2008-1 from the Office of the Attorney General and gave H.267, the Hemp for Vermont bill, the designation of Act No. 212. There had been a constitutional controversy, as Governor Jim Douglas forwarded H.267 to the Secretary of State intending it to become law without his signature. The bill had overwhelmingly passed both the House (127 to 9) and the Senate (25 to 1). The new law sets up a state-regulated program for farmers to grow non-drug industrial hemp which is used in a wide variety of products, including nutritious foods, cosmetics, body care, clothing, tree-free paper, auto parts, building materials and much more. Learn more about industrial hemp at: www.VoteHemp.com.Smart and effective grassroots organizing by Vote Hemp and the Vermont-based advocacy group Rural Vermont mobilized farmers and local businesses, many of whom pledged to buy their hemp raw materials in-state if they have the opportunity. Rural Vermont's Director Amy Shollenberger says that "the Hemp for Vermont bill is another step toward legalizing this important crop for farmers. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't allow this crop to be grown. Looking at the Canadian experience, hemp provides a good return for the farmer. It's a high-yield crop and a great crop to mix in with corn." Vermont grows an average of 90,000 acres of corn per year, a small amount compared to Midwest states; however, the need for a good rotation crop exists nationwide. From candle makers to dairymen to retailers, Vermont voters strongly support hemp farming. Admittedly a niche market now, hemp is becoming more common in stores and products across the country every day. Over the past ten years, farmers in Canada have grown an average of 16,500 acres of hemp per year, primarily for use in food products. In Vermont, the interest in hemp includes for use in food products, as well as in quality and affordable animal bedding for the state's estimated 140,000 cows. "Vermont's federal delegation can now take this law to the U.S. Congress and call for a fix to this problem of farmers missing out on a very useful and profitable crop," comments Eric Steenstra, President of Vote Hemp. "North Dakota farmers who want to grow hemp per state law are currently appealing their lawsuit in the federal courts. The real question is whether these hemp-friendly state congressional delegations feel compelled to act," adds Steenstra. Rural Vermont's Shollenberger states that "the Vermont law is significant for two reasons. First, no other state until now has followed North Dakota's lead by creating real-world regulations for farmers to grow industrial hemp. Second, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont is Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, as well as a member of the Committee on Agriculture - both relevant committees that could consider legislation. We also have a friend at the USDA in new Secretary Ed Schaffer who signed North Dakota's hemp bill as Governor. I plan to visit Washington, DC and try to figure out what Congress and the Administration intend to do."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organic Personal Care

 

 

 

 

Please review Dr. Bronner's "Truth and Lies in Organic Personal Care" page. We are taking necessary and dramatic steps in concert with the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) to clean up the natural personal care industry.

 

 

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