Sustainability

At Elka Herbals we engage in business practices that contribute to the wellbeing of our community and the world at large. Through our support of Organic Farming, Local Economy and Fair Trade we are working to promote a more just and sustainable world for all.

Organic Farming

Elka Herbals supports organic farming by using only organically farmed ingredients in all of our products. The reasons for supporting organic agriculture are numerous, some of these reasons include:

Environmental Wellness

Healthy soil is the foundation of our food supply, however, the use of pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and the practice of mono-cropping in conventional farming has led to a topsoil erosion epidemic. Organic farming practices help to rebuild healthy soil and help to eliminate toxic runoffs and pollutants from contaminating our air and water supply.

Personal Wellness

Healthier air, water, and soil which results from organic farming means a less toxic environment for ourselves and for generations to come. While consuming organic food has been proven to be healthier for our bodies, the same applies to organic skincare. Your skin is your largest organ and up to 60% of everything you apply to your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream. What you feed your skin impacts your overall health, which in turn promotes a healthy complexion!

Local Economy

In addition to operating a local business ourselves, we support our local economy as much as possible by purchasing our organic ingredients and supplies from nearby farms and locally owned businesses. Some great reasons for supporting the local economy include:

Community Wellbeing

Compared to chain stores and large corporations, local businesses recycle a larger share of their revenue back into the community. Local businesses employ more local people and therefore keep a larger portion of the profits circulating within the community. Further, local ownership ensures that important decisions are made by members of the community who understand and feel the impact of their decisions.

Local Character

Small businesses cater to their local community, unlike national or large scale companies who must cater to a vastly larger audience. This ensures greater diversity and innovation. We celebrate the things that set us apart and make our community unique! And when we travel to a new place we want to experience the local flavor of that particular place rather than finding the “same old” everywhere we go!

Some of the locally sourced ingredients used in Elka Herbals products include: organic raw almond oil, organic unrefined apricot kernel oil, organic lavender essential oil, organic lavender hydrosol

Fair Trade

In order to provide the highest quality products made from the best, most life-enhancing ingredients our planet has to offer, we sometimes need to branch out beyond our local economy. In order to ensure the sustainability of our imported ingredients, we purchase Fair Trade whenever possible. Some of our reasons for supporting a Fair Trade economy include:

Fair Pay and Healthy Working Conditions

A Fair Trade certification ensures that the farmers and other workers receive fair pay so that they are able to live and support their families. It also ensures healthy and safe conditions for workers.

Building Communities

Buying Fair Trade helps develop communities around the world. By working through cooperative structures, fair trade farmers and artisans are able to invest their earnings in improving their schools, healthcare and housing.

Higher Quality

Because Fair Trade products are produced in smaller quantities, farmers and artisans take pride in their work and invest more energy into the quality and fine details.

Some of the Fair Trade certified ingredients used in Elka Herbals products include: organic unrefined shea butter, organic extra virgin coconut oil

Watch the video below to learn more about the woman's cooperative in Ghana which supplies Elka Herbals with fair trade, unrefined shea butter.