Responsible sourcing of shea
Shea as raw material
The fruit produced by the shea tree is a very sustainable
crop, the cultivation of which requires no fertilizers or
pesticides. Growing wild in an area known as the shea
belt, which stretches across western Africa, the shea
tree is an important source of income for the communities
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that live in this area.
Traditionally, it is women who collect the shea fruit
and process the kernels it contains. Income earned from
the crop provides women with funds to alleviate poverty
and hunger, to invest in children’s education and capital
to support other income-generating activities.
Understanding our supply base
AAK has more than 60 years of experience sourcing
shea kernels from West Africa. Working in close cooperation
with shea traders and women’s groups, AAK
has built a solid and durable sourcing set-up across the
shea production areas as well as logistical hubs in the
coastal areas.
Together with our partner Proforest, we have
conducted a risk assessment of the general shea
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following priorities for responsible sourcing throughout
our traditional supply chain as well as throughout our
direct sourcing supply chain Kolo Nafaso:
Environmental
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burnings, grazing of cattle and the expansion of living
and farming areas due to population growth
Water used to boil shea kernels.
Health and safety
Snake and scorpion bites during harvest
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Exposure to the sun
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Economic
Lack of transparency due to middlemen in traditional
supply chain
Engaging with suppliers and farmers in the traditional
supply chain
Our general shea dashboard helps guide our compliance
and sustainability work in West Africa (please
also see our shea post-harvest progress report,
available at our website).
The 2019 shea crop was larger than average from
a volume perspective. This has caused multiple
changes in AAK’s supply chain, including the addition
of 91 percent of suppliers who have signed up and
aligned their way of working with our Code of Conduct
for Suppliers of Raw Materials.
In 2020, AAK will engage with suppliers more closely
in order to train them in how to apply the Code in practice,
with focus on strong business ethics, traceability
and labor rights.
The safety of our employees in West Africa has
been an important focus area in 2019. We have greatly
improved safety training for drivers and workers at
the yards. Though we have continued to experience a
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has been followed by safety training and repetition of
best practice behaviors. It should also be noted that
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for West Africa in 2019 was 5. A safety group has also
been initiated in order to enforce corrective actions and
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with leadership focus will help this even more.
Contributes to: