Are we a sustainable company?

Sustainability is one of the biggest issues when it comes to harvesting natural products. This is why we made it a requirement for our company to harvest our products sustainably and safely so that no harm is done to the environment. 

The best part about hand-harvesting pine pollen is that it’s sustainable whether we like it or not. Let’s say each tree contains 3 kg of pollen that we can theoretically harvest. Because we’re just using our hands, we can only harvest as far as our hands can reach - so we’re only able to harvest about 150 or 160 grams per tree. That means we only harvest about 3% of what the tree produces! 

Not only that, long-term wild harvests demands a fair collaboration with landowners and wild-crafters. This means that we actively incorporate the Fairwild Standard into our operations. The Fairwild Standard is a global framework by the Fairwild Foundation, that sets sustainability standards for harvesting operations. Think of it as Fair Trade if it were for harvesting.

Some of these standards include: 

• Maintaining wild plant resources with no negative environmental impacts
• Complying with laws, regulations and agreements
• Ensuring fair working conditions for all workers
• Applying responsible business and management practices

There’s a long list of these, so if you want to learn more, go to fairwild.org

But that is not enough for us. To ensure long lasting supply chain, means ensuring the health of the forest as whole. Which is why we give back, above and beyond: for every sale we make - small or large - we make sure a tree is planted in places where deforestation is a critical issue. Why? Because we are all connected and giving is in our DNA.

To be a leading voice for sustainable practices in our industry, it’s expected to go beyond the norms. That’s why each batch of product that we harvest and produce is tested extensively to see if there’s any environmental residue as a result of our operations. So we collect tons of data year in and year out to see what kind of an impact we’re making on the environment. We do this to go the extra mile to ensure that we’re as safe and sustainable as we say we are.

You can rest assured that the Canadian Pine Pollen Company actively uses sustainable, safe, and healthy practices to keep our earth clean and free from damage. We continue to be an industry leader in terms of sustainable practices, and that’s something we take pride in.

To learn more about our sustainable operations, watch this video we made talking about it in-depth: