(Credit: Quintis)Quintis Sandalwood is establishing new sandalwood plantations on previously harvested land and is set to increase Australia’s long-term endangered Indian sandalwood supply, as the ingredient becomes increasingly in demand within the personal care sector.
Quintis has prepared the site in Kununurra, Western Australia, and established its first new sandalwood plantation in five years. This is the first time Quintis has ever planted on a previously harvested plantation. As part of its sustainable plantation management, there will be more than 150,000 Indian sandalwood seedlings planted and associated host trees on the land.
Quintis states that “it is estimated that around 90% of sandalwood is sourced from illegally harvested means. At Quintis, our sandalwood is ethically grown and traceable throughout the product's lifecycle.” It goes on to say that “sandalwood is a proven relaxant, decreasing anxiety, calming the nervous system, and assisting with better quality sleep,” which is why it is highly sought after in the personal care sector.
As with sandalwood, many companies challenges in finding a sustainable supply of the natural materials needed for their products. Natural rubber, for example, is a raw material that is used in a variety of products and is an important ingredient in military, aircraft and truck tires. More than 90% of natural rubber is made from latex derived from rubber trees and is primarily sourced from tropical locations outside of the US. The natural rubber currently used to produce tires is extracted from the Para rubber tree, which primarily grows in Southeast Asia. Disease and the depletion of tropical rainforests where Para rubber trees are grown contribute to risk in the rubber supply chain.
To combat this, Bridgestone Corporation, a tire and rubber company that has devoted significant resources to ensuring a continuing and sustainable supply of rubber for the future, has developed a system that utilizes big data to contribute to higher yield at rubber farms. The mathematical model incorporates a variety of factors, including soil health and disease management, to derive information on which clones of trees should be planted where, when and in what quantity in order to maintain high natural rubber productivity.
Palm oil is another material with high demand. In 2020, global food corporation Cargill expanded its segregated palm oil capacity in order to help its customers meet their sustainability commitments, the company says. Previously, Cargill offered its North American customers mass-balanced sustainable palm oil, but its new offering in North America meets stricter certification standards for Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Quintis General Manager of Forestry, Steve Hindley, said “the way to ensure that Indian sandalwood continues to survive and thrive is to establish plantations and manage them in a sustainable way. Quintis’ Establishment Project is an important moment for the business because sustainable forestry is about the planting, growing, harvesting, and replanting cycle . . . With a consistent supply long into the future, our vision is to unearth even more benefits of this wellbeing ingredient, sharing its potent healing properties with the fragrance, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine industries.”
