5 Things You Didn’t Know About Beiersdorf’s Shea Engagement

Shea isn’t just an essential ingredient in many of our lip care products – it’s part of a bigger sustainability story you might not know.

For years we’ve been working towards a more sustainable shea supply chain in line with our CARE BEYOND SKIN Sustainability Agenda. Through AAKs Kolo Nafaso sourcing program, we also helped to empower women collectors and protect the shea belt ecosystem in Burkina Faso and Ghana.

The first phase of this project exceeded all expectations – and we’re not stopping there. Our commitment to driving impact in the shea supply base continues.

Curious about the impact behind your favorite products? Here are five facts you probably didn’t know about Beiersdorf’s sustainable shea engagement.

Our commitment goes beyond environmental impact. We strengthen women’s economic capabilities through training in village savings, loans, and financial resilience. 

Improved production processes, better health and safety standards, and access to clean water create lasting benefits for shea-collecting communities. These steps build a more inclusive and resilient shea butter value chain.

The joint target of the 5-year project was to support 10,000 women through financial resilience, tree planting, shea processing and health and safety training. We didn’t just meet this target – we exceeded it: over 10,500 women benefited from the project and its initiatives.

7,320 women gained financial education through village savings and loans trainings. On the environmental side, 7,961 women helped protect parklands and planted 20,425 shea trees, fighting land degradation. Plus, over 12,000 improved cookstoves now make shea processing safer and more sustainable.

Shea grows naturally in parklands without fertilizers or pesticides. No forests are cleared, and no land is converted to cultivate it – so nature stays intact.

The trees help fight desertification and slow the spread of the Sahara. Harvesting is done by hand, which means the trees and soil aren’t harmed. Shea fits naturally into mixed farming systems and supports biodiversity – a great example of how a raw material can benefit both people and the planet.