Having encouraged growers to embrace progressive farming methods for the past 30 years, L’OCCITANE en Provence is supporting the creation of the Fair-Trade Agroecology Collective for regenerative agriculture in the Mediterranean. Through this producer-led initiative, the brand is reaffirming its commitment to biodiversity, bringing together all the key stakeholders in the production of its iconic ingredients, from farmers to processors. The aim: promote agroecology, giving farmers pride in their output and confidence in their future, and supporting the life of the land.
The only way forward for farming
Agroecology involves farming methods which produce high yields whilst respecting people and the environment. These practices, inspired by natural ecosystems, harness the complementarity between different species to breathe new life into cultivated soil and make farming sustainable.
Agroecology relies on the rhythm of nature. For instance, the cultivation of almond trees.
Blossoming almond trees signal the arrival of spring in Provence, being the first of the fruit trees to burst into flower.
To encourage pollination, L’OCCITANE almond producers, Jean-Pierre’s family, installed 300 beehives in the trees, pollinating almond blossoms. In fact, every almond we eat exists because a honey bee pollinated an almond blossom, so they’re an essential partner for almond farmers. Without honey bees, there would quite simply be no almonds. As a result, almond flowers are a great source of nectar and pollen for the bees. Meanwhile, looking after the local biodiversity is very important to Jean-Pierre. He keeps his land scattered with weeds, which encourage insects to live on the ground.
Once the pollination is completed, the blossoms will slowly transform into an almond fruit in its hull.
The hull continues to break open wider while the hull itself becomes tougher and leathery while still adhering to the almond before harvest time.
The whole process is completely free, as nature does its wonders.
L’OCCITANE sees agroecology as the only way to ensure farming remains profitable in the face of climate change, whilst guaranteeing the preservation and regeneration of biodiversity and the future of generations to come. The brand is committed to supporting its growers: true farming pioneers who have reinvented themselves, having come to the conclusion that agricultural methods which fail to provide for the living world are an ecological and economic dead end. Whilst farmers are among the first to feel the effects of climate change, their links to the earth mean they also have some means of mitigating them.
“Farmers are the soul of L’OCCITANE.”
“Our relationship with them is built on mutual trust, which is part of the reason we have come together to form this association which is revolutionising working methods. The whole farming system must now change. We are playing our part, as a cosmetics brand which relies on natural raw materials.” Jean-Charles Lhommet, L’OCCITANE Group Sustainability and Biodiversity Director.
The challenges of a pioneering approach
Almonds before harvest
Supported by L’OCCITANE, around 15 family farms have now signed up to the Fair-Trade Agroecology Collective. These farms produce a wide range of ingredients (such as almonds, verbena, immortelle flowers and roses) in diverse landscapes (including Provence and Corsica). The association aims to help producers to share ethical practices and pool skills, with technical support from L’OCCITANE’s agricultural engineers.
In agroecology, every step forward brings new challenges which are more easily tackled collectively. The association, therefore, hopes to open up to external players and to share its results with other members of the farming world. After several years of trials, the association will give open-source access to all its data with the aim of accelerating knowledge-sharing in the field of agroecology to make a global impact on the land.
A number of trials already running on the plots of several producers are based on two of the founding principles of agroecology:
- Agroforestry, which aims to reintroduce trees on agricultural plots to act as windbreaks, retain water or nourish the soil through the microorganisms living on their roots;
- Providing permanent soil cover through straw-mulching or planting between cultivated rows or in the middle of fields, to protect and fix the nutrients in the soil.
As with any groundbreaking scheme, there are risks involved for farmers in implementing new agroecological farming systems. After an initial assessment of the farm, the trial phase may be challenging, resulting in a short-term reduction in yields or, at the very least, increased costs through, for example, the purchase of materials. For producers, rethinking their farming techniques involves changing the way they have done things for decades, and this takes time. This simply could not happen if they were not fairly compensated in financial terms.
Agroecology and fair trade: the ethical foundation for sustainable farming
This is why L’OCCITANE is committed to supporting all the suppliers of its iconic ingredients to gain fair-trade certification by 2025. This guarantees multi-year contracts lasting at least 3 years and ensures they are paid enough to cover their production costs and earn a decent living from farming. Fair-trade certification is the essential founding block for their transition to sustainable agriculture, ensuring the viability of their farming and allowing them to invest in the future. Until 2025, when the members of the collective, among others, have gained fair-trade status, L’OCCITANE is providing financial and human resources to support the establishment and structuring of the association.
Jean-Charles Lhommet (Biodiversity & Sustainable Ingredients Director) carrying out a workshop for L’Occitane’s Cultivators Of Change Event
Through its commitment to its production partners, L’OCCITANE is demonstrating its desire to support them by offering them the tools they need to undertake their shift to agroecological farming. The link between agroecology and fair trade is fundamental to creating a virtuous circle: providing for the earth so that we get the best back from it; giving in order to guarantee our future.
This key L’OCCITANE philosophy will be highlighted by the campaign Taken to give back, featuring the Verbena and White Lavender collections in July 2022. Because preserving biodiversity also means raising awareness of these issues as widely as possible.
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