Join the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba

Joining the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba is essential for your business. It reduces risks to your company while offering your customers a more responsible product.

The Initiative for Responsible Carnauba is working to improve conditions in the harvest areas of Carnauba wax in Brazil.

Carnauba grows wild in the endangered ecosystem of the Caatinga in Brazil and does not grow anywhere else in the world. Carnauba trees protect precious habitat and support local communities.
Harvesting Carnauba has challenges that must be tackled, including incidences of child labour, workers’ exploitation and health and safety issues for workers that collect the Carnauba from the wild.
Being part of the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba means that your company is working to promote respect for human rights, biodiversity conservation, and local economic development.

Companies that are part of the Initiative are acting in a pre-competitive way, contributing to field-based projects that support people in Carnauba harvest areas, including training workers in human and workers’ rights and improving the safety of workers. Learn more about the Carnauba Worker Rights and Safety project that IRC members are contributing to.

Joining the Initiative supports your company in meeting its due diligence obligations, including the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), that entered into force in July 2024. The CSDDD acknowledges that sectoral and multi-stakeholder initiatives can play a significant role, complementing actions at the company level.
Joining the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba sends a strong signal to the sector, showing that you are committed to addressing the challenges in Carnauba.

Companies that are part of the Initiative commit to sourcing responsible Carnauba, including sourcing independently verified sources of Carnauba. Verification means that external experts look at the environmental and social conditions in the field, using an internationally recognized standard, and provide an assurance that you can offer your customers. It is a lower cost option than third-party certification and reduces risk while also promoting positive impacts.
Members of the Initiative get access to relevant information about the Carnauba sector, without significant time commitments.

The Initiative for Responsible Carnauba is made up of Brazilian wax suppliers, international distributors and brands, and is hosted by UEBT, an independent, respected non-profit organisation that has promoted sourcing with respect for people and nature for almost 20 years.