Soil, just like our skin, is a living, breathing ecosystem. It is the skin of our earth, supporting humans, plants and wildlife. So much of what we consume comes from the soil, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear and the ingredients in our favourite moisturiser. But the earth’s soil is under threat, with more than a third across the globe already degraded.
Super soil
Soils are home to a quarter of all living species on earth. A teaspoon of soil contains more living beings than there are people on earth: billions of microorganisms and tiny creatures such as bacteria, worms, water bears, fungi, mites, springtails, woodlice, beetles and algae. These tiny inhabitants help make the soil fertile, enhancing plant health and enabling soil to store carbon and water.
Soil biodiversity is the key to thriving ecosystems, without which we cannot tackle the crises facing nature today, including climate change, soil degradation, pollution and microplastics, to name a few.
Soil and our skin
In many ways, the soil in your garden is just like your skin: a thriving, balanced microbiome. Weleda cares for the earth’s soil like it cares for your skin by using natural farming methods to create potent, organic skincare products. Natural farming methods are designed to keep the soil healthy and full of nutrient-rich humus. It provides a home for plenty of beneficial organisms, such as earthworms, which make the soil fertile. Weleda’s eight medicinal plant gardens are spread across different countries and are cultivated by biodynamic practices. By applying the principles of biodynamic farming, Weleda has created resilient ecosystems that cope well with heat, rain and drought, and where biodiversity can thrive.
“We recognise how important healthy soil is, not only to make high-quality products, but for the future of our planet and everyone who lives on it,” says Stefan Siemer, Weleda’s Global Head of Sustainability. “Commitment to soil biodiversity is at the heart of all our product sourcing. Improving and supporting soil biodiversity to make it as healthy as possible is a priority through natural, biodynamic farming and collaboration with soil-focused regenerative farming projects across the world.”
Products such as Weleda’s iconic Skin Food nourish your skin with ingredients such as organically grown calendula, a growing process which in turn helps to nourish the earth’s own skin. Weleda products don’t contain microplastics that can be harmful to soil, and never use pesticides to grow the ingredients. Healthy soil creates healthy plants, which provide the most nourishing substances for Weleda’s natural products.
So, how can you help?
In the same way you protect your skin, you can protect the earth’s skin. There are simple things you can do in your daily life to help support soil health. From learning how to care for the soil in your own garden (composting is a great start!), to understanding how to choose products that actively support soil health. To help people understand how to do their bit, Weleda has created a useful bank of tips and advice on what you can do to help save earth’s skin.
Weleda’s commitment to the earth’s skin
- Fifty soil-friendly sourcing projects around the world.
- A pioneer of biodynamic farming for more than 100 years.
- The first natural skincare company to become a UEBT member with the label ‘Sourcing with Respect’, marking a commitment to ethical, raw material sourcing and biodiversity.
- Launched a new sourcing strategy to support organic seed breeding, and a new Agriculture Management Standard to increase biodynamic ingredients from 20 per cent to 40 per cent by 2025.
- A new Biodiversity Action
- Plan and Seed Strategy will see Weleda set new standards for diversity in medicinal plant cultivation.
- In 2022 Weleda will invest an additional one per cent of sales in climate protection, biodiversity and soil conservation.
- In Australia Weleda is working with Carbon8 to help transition Aussie farmers to regenerative agriculture and support them to rebuild the carbon (organic matter) in their soil from one per cent to eight per cent.
- Weleda is UEBT, B-Corp and NATURE-certified.
For more, visit weleda.com.au and @weledaaustralia and #SaveEarthsSkin on Instagram.
