Weleda Has Embraced Plant Power from the Very Beginning

Now with eight medicinal plant gardens around the world – cultivated organically on the equivalent of 35,000 football pitches, or 25,000 hectares – Weleda grows the majority of raw materials used in the formulation of its products. More than 120 species are collected and processed into tinctures for products, supplemented by ethically sourced ingredients from both small- and large-scale suppliers and cooperatives. Each garden consists of diverse growing plots free from chemical fertilisers and pesticides, with soil health maintained through compost management. “Everything that grows and thrives in our own gardens is cultivated according to the principles of biodynamic farming,” Michael explains. “We see our gardens as ecosystems, with plants, soil and animals thriving both above and below ground.” Insects and birdlife are encouraged, with the German garden alone providing a home to 50 bird species and several hundred wild bee species. Impressive biodiversity aside, the lush beauty of these gardens is also open for people to explore from home thanks to Weleda’s Open Garden – an immersive online platform launched as part of its birthday celebrations.

In 2018, Weleda became one of the first companies to receive the Union for Ethical BioTrade’s (UEBT) “Sourcing with Respect” label. The non-profit association – of which Weleda is a trading member and represented on the board – recognises and enforces a commitment to the conservation of biodiversity, respect of traditional knowledge and the ethical sourcing of natural ingredients and raw materials. “It means we bear responsibility for the people who grow, harvest and process our natural ingredients,” says Michael. Workers who are treated and paid fairly lead to strong grower relationships, which are essential to ensuring transparency throughout all stages of the supply chain. The company also examines its sustainability successes and shortcomings through an annual sustainability report, with findings open to the public.

We bear responsibility for the people who grow, harvest and process our natural ingredients.

This grounding in sustainable practices extends across the smaller – but no less important – areas of the brand. Take the packaging, for example: it includes a range of recycled options including glass jars (made from 85% recycled glass), bottles (made from 97% post-consumer recycled plastic) and cardboard boxes (made from 85% recycled fibres). Energy is also considered, with three of Weleda’s global facilities, as well as its Switzerland headquarters, powered by 100% renewable energy (the other branches operate on 91%).

Offering only climate-neutral products by 2022, limiting their financial carbon footprint by checking how the brand’s money is invested and becoming B Corp certified by 2022 are just a few of the ways Weleda is looking to safeguard the future – one that is more sensitive to the natural world. “Perhaps the greatest challenges facing the world in the next 100 years are ecological, the loss of biodiversity and healthy soils, and climate change; social, the divide of countries and societies; and human, the impending loss of meaning,” says Michael. “It always fascinates me that Weleda’s founders wanted to provide answers to similar challenges 100 years ago. We have a deep understanding and a radical commitment to continue finding good solutions in the next 100 years.”