BASF Care Creations recently

launched three active ingredients

based on the Southeast-Asian

rambutan tree, namely Nephydrat

(INCI: Glycerin [and] Water [and]

Nephelium Lappaceum Peel Extract),

Nephoria (INCI: Maltodextrin [and]

Nephelium Lappaceum Leaf Extract)

and Rambuvital (INCI: Maltodextrin [and]

Nephelium Lappaceum [Seed] Extract).

Extracted from the spiny fruit peel, the

evergreen leaves and the seeds, the

bio-actives offer skin and hair protection

against pollution, dehydration and signs

of ageing. What’s more is the impact of

these bio-actives goes far beyond the

personal care industry. With its dedicated

Rambutan Programme, launched in

2015, BASF has established a socially and

environmentally responsible supply chain

for bioactive production in Vietnam.

Upcycling to benefit farmersThe rambutan tree, native

to Indonesia and

Malaysia, is renowned

throughout Asia for

its various health

benefits. The juicy

fruits have long been

used to treat dysentery

due to their richness in

iron, vitamin C, fibre

and antioxidants.

The rinds contain

compounds with

antioxidant properties

and the seeds have been

shown to decrease unwanted

fat. Even the pulp is known to have

health benefits – it boosts energy and

immunity, prevents diseases and helps

eliminate free radicals.1

Despite rambutan’s wide range of

benefits, farmers primarily sell the juicy

fruits. Thanks to BASF’s interdisciplinary

innovation platforms, they can now

also make use of the parts of the plant

which mostly go to waste. This upcycling

programme gives farmers an opportunity

to generate a new income stream with

an above average income. As a result,

the cooperation has a positive impact on

Vietnamese rural society.

Sustainable, organic sourcing For its Rambutan Programme, BASF

selected two rambutan gardens in the

Dong Nai province in

Southeast Vietnam.

Over an area of three

hectares, the gardens

feature around 200

rambutan trees aged

25 to 30 years. When

cultivated well, the trees

can live for up to 100 years,

providing the rural communities

from the region with a reliable

income stream for years to come. To

make this possible, BASF encourages and

emphasises organic, sustainable farming

practices, and implements measures to

ensure organic farming compliance.

Thanks to the joint efforts of BASF and

partners from the region, both gardens

received organic certification in 2017,

making them the first certified gardens

of their kind in Vietnam. BASF also set up

a dedicated rambutan team to oversee

maintenance of the organically certified

gardens and harvest the fruit between

July and September. The team sorts stems,

leaves and fruits, removes the pericarp,

separates pulp and seeds and leaves the

parts to dry naturally. The cooperation is a

win-win situation for everyone. While BASF

benefits from the team members’ unique

expertise, they receive a steady, above

average income, health insurance and

free meals.

The pilot harvest of fruit peels, leaves

and seeds took place in 2018. In the same

year, BASF initiated an access and benefit

sharing (ABS) protocol and entered into

a contract with the supplier. Large scale

harvesting commenced in 2019.

Built on decades of experienceThe Rambutan Programme is based

on the experience BASF gained from

30 | JANUARY 2020 | P C Review

Increased environmental consciousness has prompted the cosmetics industry to develop new sustainable solutions that don’t compromise on performance. With programmes for the sustainable cultivation of renewable raw materials, BASF is helping manufacturers provide consumers with responsible skin and hair care products while benefitting rural communities.

Promoting sustainable supply Promoting sustainable supply chains chains for responsible productsfor responsible products

SPECIALITY INGREDIENTS SPECIALITY INGREDIENTS

Rambutan fruit

DID YOU KNOW?

In 2019, BASF celebrated 25 years of having a sustainability strategy in place. In 1994, the

company adopted its Vision 2010, which oriented BASF towards the principles of sustainable development. At that time, it

was one of the first companies worldwide to publicly

commit to sustainable development.

Promoting sustainable supply Promoting sustainable supply chains chains for responsible productsfor responsible products

BASF – www.carecreations.basf.comBotanichem - www.botanichem.co.za

P C Review | JANUARY 2020 | 31

SPECIALITY INGREDIENTS SPECIALITY INGREDIENTS

the Argan Programme it launched

in southern Morocco in 2005. The

company teamed up with Targanine,

a network of six oil processing

cooperatives from the region of

Agadir, to study the argan tree and

how it could use the tree’s oil and

by-products. More than 1 000 women

from rural communities now work in

the cooperatives – a six-fold increase

since the start of the programme. The

cooperative members market several

products, including by-products,

botanical and essential oils and

bee products.

Both parties benefit from the partnership

– BASF purchases the oil and its by-

products under fair trade conditions,

including a non-negotiated premium

price, payment in advance, a fair-

trade premium for the oil and long-term

forecasts. What’s more, 50 percent of

the price paid for the pulp is allocated

to social funds within the cooperatives.

The money is used on schemes such as

literacy programmes and health related

initiatives. The cooperation also fosters

preservation of the argan forest by the

population from the region.

A collaborative approachBeing versatile, easy to process and

providing yields per hectare that distinctly

outreach those of sunflower, rapeseed

and other vegetable oils, palm oil is

the most widely used vegetable oil. Its

unique chemical properties also make

it irreplaceable for the oleo derivate

business. The majority of oil palm products

used by BASF are based on palm kernel oil

and its derivatives and to a lesser extent

on palm oil. As palm cultivation is linked

to deforestation, loss of biodiversity and

social conflicts in the producing countries

– mainly Indonesia and Malaysia – BASF

Standard. It’s been shown that trained and

certified farmers receive on average a 47

percent higher income than farmers who

didn’t participate in the programme. The

first Rainforest Alliance Certified coconut

oil was produced in 2018 with the support

of this partnership.

BASF’s positive impact on both the

environment and society is firmly anchored

in the company’s global sustainability

strategy with four defined focus areas:

1. climate protection

2. sustainable product portfolio

3. responsible procurement

4. engaged employees.

Projects such as the Rambutan and Argan

programmes, as well as BASF’s efforts

towards certified sustainable palm and

coconut oil prove the strategy to be a

success. They show it is possible to fulfil

consumer demand for products that are

as good for the planet as are they for the

hair and skin – and this innovation goes

beyond the lab. By sourcing raw materials

responsibly, BASF is making a sustainable

contribution to rural communities. •

REFERENCE

1. Hernandez-Hernandez C, Aguilar CN, Rodriguez-Herrera R,

Flores-Gallegos AC, Morlett-Chavez J, Govea-Salas M, Ascacio-

Valdes JA. Rambutan (Nephelium Lappaceum L.): nutritional and

functional properties. Trends in food science & technology, 85,

201-210, 2019

Freshly picked oil palm fruits

Trained and certified farmers

receive on average a 47 percent

higher income than farmers who didn’t participate in the

programme

has committed to spur the production of

sustainable palm oil products. To speed up

this process, in 2018 the company initiated

a major shift of its speciality portfolio and

offers exclusively RSPO certified sustainable

palm-based speciality ingredients for the

personal care industry.

Apart from a certification system and

maximum transparency, social measures

for local communities, especially

smallholders, are key steps towards

protecting high carbon stock forests. BASF

has partnered with other stakeholders

along the supply chain to enhance the

living conditions of the people in farming

areas by improving agricultural practices,

increasing yields and helping to preserve

forests. Continuous education and

technical support help smallholder farmers

implement and maintain sustainable palm

oil practices.

Benefitting coconut farmersA similar approach is being utilised for

the cultivation of coconut palms. BASF

cooperated with Cargill, Procter & Gamble

(P&G) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in

a development partnership under the

develoPPP.de programme. The partnership

was commissioned by the German Federal

Ministry for Economic Cooperation and

Development (BMZ) to establish a certified

coconut oil supply chain and improve

the livelihood of coconut farmers in the

Philippines and Indonesia.

Over the past four years, more than

4 100 coconut farmers have been

trained in Good Agricultural and

processing Practices (GAP) as well as

Farm Management practices. About 1

600 farmers received additional training

and have been certified according to the

Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Agriculture