As part of Weleda’s Save Earth’s Skin campaign focusing on soil health, the brand has pledged to donate $2 from every Weleda Skin Food product sold in April and May* to help Aussie farmers.
The money raised will go to Carbon8, a farmer-led initiative that is responding to the current impact of droughts, floods and desertification by supporting farmers to increase the carbon in their soil and help them transition to regenerative agriculture. The farmers are aiming to rebuild the carbon in their soil from 1% to 8%.
Just like our skin, soil is a balanced microbiome that is key to thriving ecosystems. Home to a quarter of all living species on Earth, one teaspoon contains more living beings than there are people on our planet, including billions of microorganisms and tiny creatures such as bacteria, worms, water bears, fungi, mites, springtails, woodlice, beetles, and algae.
These tiny inhabitants help make the soil fertile, enhancing plant health and enabling soil to store carbon and water. But the earth’s soil is under constant threat, with over a third of it degraded, diminishing habitats, and increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
That’s why Weleda has announced a pledge to educate, inspire and enact positive change to improve and support soil biodiversity.
Since its inception, Weleda has been committed to ethical raw material sourcing and biodiversity and has acted on this through pioneering biodynamic farming practices at their eight gardens around the world and more than 50 cultivation partners around the globe.
Weleda understands that healthy soil creates healthy plants, which is why for over 100 years, they have been growing plants without the use of pesticides.
Plants are harvested when they are at their most potent and Weleda uses the extracts to produce their skincare products, such as calendula, which is a key ingredient in Weleda’s iconic Skin Food and Calendula Baby Care ranges. Weleda’s products are also free from microplastics as these are harmful to soil.
Stefan Siemer, Global Head of Sustainability at Weleda AG, said: “At Weleda, our sustainability commitment goes beyond sourcing high quality, organic raw materials. We also care about how they are grown. We recognise how important healthy soil is, not only to make our high-quality products, but for the future of our planet and everyone who lives on it. Commitment to soil biodiversity is at the heart of all our product sourcing. Improving and supporting soil biodiversity to make it as healthy as possible, is a priority, through natural, biodynamic farming and collaboration with soil-focussed regenerative farming projects across the world.
Weleda has also joined forces with internationally renowned model and environmental activist, Arizona Muse who understands and shares their passion for soil health, to further spread their mission to help save the soil, the skin of the earth.
Arizona, also the Founder of DIRT, said: “As an environmental activist, I’m passionate about finding solutions to tackle climate change. My charity DIRT is dedicated to the practice of regenerative agriculture known as biodynamic farming, a chemical free method of crop rotation that promotes biodiversity. Weleda’s Save Earth’s Skin campaign is all about treating soil, the skin of the Earth, like we would our own skin – without harsh chemicals and in a way that demands care and respect. It’s a campaign that’s very close to my heart. We can all do our bit when it comes to treating soil with the respect it deserves.”
*Applies to all full-sized Skin Food products sold via www.weleda.com.au