The current situation is, as is generally assumed by now, a consequence of how we deal with Mother Earth and her nature. In our opinion, it has also become clearer that nature is not of and for us, but that we are there for nature.

Like many other people, we also like good food, travel, enjoy other cultures and enrich ourselves with it. Fortunately, we were able to do that in full and hopefully again soon, but of course something has changed. Because there are so many of us, we have looted that beautiful pantry, which is called nature, a little too much. Something to think about?

Because we produce our soap and more in Indonesia and we also have a long history together, that is the first designated area for us. Of course we don't exclude other areas.

And then what do we do? First of all, we support small palm oil farmers and their families, who depend on what they grow for their income. Moreover, outside of the negative media coverage, palm oil is actually a very good choice if done right. Also read our blog about palm oil. We do this by collaborating with the RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil).

“Our” farmers are united in the group Gapoktan Tanjung Sehati, who live and work in the Jambi province in West Sumatra. Because the soil there is much harder than on Java, for example, growing traditional agricultural crops such as rice is very difficult, if not impossible. The group consists of farmers in 9 villages who jointly put the principles of sustainably grown palm oil into practice. This also means that no artificial fertilizer is used, but organic cow manure. The Merangin district has entrusted the care of the livestock to this group of farmers. This herd is expanding every year and the collected manure is shared fairly.

For small farmers, this not only has the advantage of lowering costs (fertilizer is expensive), but also preserving the fertility of the soil. And of course much healthier for humans and animals.

Another added advantage is that the sense of community (Gotong Royong), which had been compromised over the years, has been completely restored. Social ties have improved and there is a collaborative effort to create and maintain pathways for production and conservation.

Does this shed a different light on palm oil? After all, these farmers produce palm oil that is 100% organic, deforestation-free, nature-friendly, fair and social; to prove that palm can also be grown in a good way. They work to conserve the environment and native species, provide positive economic support to the local community and create sustainable livelihoods for all concerned.

Of course, there remains the gigantic deforestation that has taken place everywhere, in addition to many places elsewhere, including in Indonesia. We are also working on recovery there, which of course does not happen overnight, but the first step is always the beginning. Those first steps have already been taken and Elicious is the official partner for reforestation of OneTreePlanted. 

With every order you have the choice to € 0.84 to add a tree. More trees is of course also possible.

We also plant a tree per order. Giving back to Mother Earth together so that places become habitable again for flora and fauna.

For example, there is a project in collaboration with The Orangutan Project for reforestation in Sumatra. This ranges from planting seeds and cultivating them in a protected manner to actually planting the young trees. This is an example from many projects. A total of 30,000 trees are planted there on 50 hectares.

Shall we change our mind a bit to 'buy local - support global' and return what we have 'consumed'?