BASF has started supplying its first sustainable castor ingredients to the personal care industry after becoming the first chemical company to be certified according to the SuCCESS (Sustainable Castor Caring for Environmental & Social Standards) Code.
The company's production site in Düsseldorf-Holthausen, Germany is also the first site in the personal care industry to be certified.
In 2016, BASF, Arkema, Jayant Agro-Organics Ltd, and the international civil society organization Solidaridad launched the Pragati project to improve working conditions of, and create awareness of sustainable farming for, castor farmers in Gujarat, India.
Since the Pragati project was initiated, more than 5,800 smallholders and over 13,300 hectares of land have been certified for sustainable castor cultivation.
The SuCCESS Code is designed by multiple partners and stakeholders to ensure the objective of Pragati project and to develop sustainability principles for castor seeds that will guide and further allow castor producers to offer certified sustainable castor in the global market.
SuCCESS adopted 11 principles of ownership and provides smallholders with on-field support for ensuring monitoring and compliance with 41 mandatory and 25 non-mandatory control points.
Only SuCCESS-certified Sustainable Castor Association (SCA) members can claim to supply sustainable castor products, said a BASF spokeswoman.
“As a global acting company, BASF has a responsibility to manage its supply chain carefully,” she added.
“The company is deeply involved in a range of initiatives not only to increase the share of nature-based ingredients in its portfolio, but also to enhance the sustainability of farming practices and the wellbeing of farmers and workers.”
