A commitment to serve Malagasy communities

At the Lons site, Seppic extracts and purifies  cosmetic and pharmaceutical botanical active ingredients from plants harvested in Madagascar.

Over 40 years of commitment

A pioneer in the implementation of benefit-sharing best practices towards local communities surrounding plant collection for four decades, Seppic Lons has been an active member of the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) since 2008. Since its creation, respecting traditional know-how, improving the living conditions of local populations, and ensuring that our local suppliers become increasingly competent in terms of social responsibility, by even reaching the plant collection areas, have been at the heart of Lons site's sustainable development.

 Among the conditions for joining the UEBT, Seppic Lons has given priority to the Centella asiatica supply chain to improve ethical practices.

Ensure responsible sourcing along the supply chain of Centella asiatica from Madagascar

We have structured our supply chain through solid partnerships with our Malagasy suppliers and, we have been working with a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) for 20 years. This dual approach has enabled the implementation of measures to offer responsible compensation for harvesting activities, ensuring traceability and product quality. It also ties this seasonal activity to an ambitious sustainable development program benefiting the 11,350 pickers who have chosen traceability and quality with Seppic. To support this ambition to address socio-economic and environmental issues ‘from the field’ of this value chain, we are now seeking to optimize the impact of our sustainable development program by deploying its most effective projects to the greatest number of beneficiaries.  

Examples of actions with local communities and partners

In Madagascar today, more than 11 350 pickers benefit from Seppic supply chain, and local partners ensure quality control and traceability thanks to the transfer of expertise.

Seppic conducts its activities, including the purchase of raw materials from its suppliers, with the highest ethical standards. Seppic's sourcing is respectful of people and biodiversity. We are committed to a responsible approach to biodiversity, notably by improving the traceability of our raw materials of plant origin. We respect local regulations concerning biodiversity around the Nagoya Protocol.

Seppic Lons and its partners are committed to improving the living conditions of the communities where the harvesters live, particularly by providing infrastructural support for education. With the support of its customers, Seppic contributes to:

• Schooling initiatives: more than 135 classrooms and libraries have been built since 2003, representing more than 4000 students enrolled per year, capacity-building training for more than 250 teachers, hundreds of school kits distributed to students. Attendance is approximately twice as high in supported schools (source: 2018 internal survey).

• Nutrition and health initiatives, with participation in nutrition programs for more than 2,000 children per year, construction of wells, and support for 8 health centers through the construction of new buildings or the renovation and purchase of medical equipment,

• Skills-building initiatives, with the strengthening of the traceability, control and verification process of the Centella asiatica supply chain.

The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) we work with in Madagascar has a robust methodology for identifying and prioritizing community needs and a strong delivery capacity that has enabled us to replicate this type of program for 20 years:

In 2023 Seppic supported projects including building a school at Sahamamy college, the continuation of a pilot program to raise awareness of the sustainable use of biodiversity in a community garden (see the SAHARITRA project), the continuation of a community health program for harvesters and a test scholarship program for their children, and the enrichment of the Morarano-Gara communal library. Morarano-Gara is a major collection center for Centella asiatica, of which Seppic has been a regular sponsor for almost 20 years. 

Fostering biodiversity around the Protected Area of Ambohidray 

Seppic is committed to a sustainable future: The SAHARITRA project seeks to empower locals and diversify food resources by rehabilitating and expanding a community garden in Ambohidray, Madagascar. The project steers communities involved in charcoal mining towards new sources of sustainable income, while promoting youth education. This project simultaneously addresses environmental, social and economic issues.

In 2023, sustainable activities were set up for local communities, schoolchildren and university students.

Key figures (achievements 2003-2023)