Dear colleagues,
2022 ended with hope. The world adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, ushering in a new era for action. UEBT was on the ground in Montreal at COP15 witnessing the historic moment and representing our members.
The year showed a clear reckoning for biodiversity. UEBT’s 2022 Biodiversity Barometer showed that species extinction is now the second most urgent environmental concern for people after climate change, and biodiversity awareness is at its highest ever: 72% or more in all the countries we sampled, compared to only 29% or more across countries sampled in 2009.
Our new publication called “Sourcing Botanicals with Respect” delivered concrete evidence drawn from 100+ UEBT field assessments on the importance of these raw materials for biodiversity and local communities. The report also illuminated what challenges remain that companies need to address in botanicals production.
Within our growing non-profit, we saw a smooth transition in Board leadership from our long-time Board President Bas Schneiders to Eder Ramos of Symrise. Perhaps most significant, 2022 was the year that UEBT’s membership grew at its fastest rate in the history of the organisation, rising almost 70% in one year and reaching 131 members at the end of 2022.
With these clear signs, we know that forward-thinking companies are realising the need to scale up responsible sourcing across all value and supply chains in alignment with the global biodiversity framework. We are proud to be their partners in this. We invite our members to celebrate their journey so far, but to also intensify positive actions in supply chains in the coming years. We are here to set the standard for this – to guide, to validate, and to inform.
All of us working on ethical sourcing must do more than we ever thought we could, or would. People and nature are depending on business to do what is difficult but necessary. This means clients and purchasers needing to pay more fairly, companies investing to conserve and regenerate where possible, supporting small and medium suppliers, managing risks to reduce harm across entire portfolios, and boldly reversing unsustainable supply chains where they still exist.
The efforts will be significant, but business resilience and the resilience of the communities and landscapes we source from, depend upon it.
Read on about UEBT’s results during 2022. And know that we are honoured to work with you, our members and partners, for a world in which all people and biodiversity thrive.
Eder Ramos, Board President
Rik Kutsch Lojenga, Executive Director
