Nektium secures first BioTrade permit for sustainable honeybush sourcing

31 May 2024 --- Nektium has obtained a BioTrade permit for the sustainable and ethical sourcing of honeybush (Cyclopia spp.) from South Africa’s Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, following the Nagoya Protocol. This international legal framework promotes biodiversity and fair and equitable benefit sharing with communities in the raw materials’ sourcing areas. 

Honeybush is endemic to the highly biodiverse Cape Floral Kingdom in South Africa. The naturally sweet, caffeine-free herbal tea is rich in antioxidants and mangiferin. Nektium notes that this health-promoting bioactive compound has been linked to anti-diabetic, anti-obesity and immunomodulatory properties. 

“This permit will allow Nektium to sell our honeybush extract, respecting the origin of the raw material and the traditional knowledge behind it, treasured by the local indigenous communities. Beyond our commitment to protecting biodiversity and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits, this permit also helps to avoid biopiracy,” Adriana Regidor Garcia, sustainability and corporate affairs director at Nektium, tells Nutrition Insight. 

“We are delighted to have obtained our first BioTrade permit, which we believe is the first issued to an extract manufacturer for honeybush in South Africa.” 

The company’s R&D team is working to develop a honeybush ingredient with potential applications in supplements, food and beverages. 

“We are currently thoroughly analyzing the wide variety of benefits that honeybush can deliver to focus on an extract that can enrich our product portfolio,” Regidor Garcia adds. “Its organoleptic features are strong assets in its value proposition, as it will be easy to integrate in different formats and applications. We expect to finish the development process in 2024 so that we can launch next year.”

Access and Benefit sharing 
The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which entered into force in 2014. In so-called Access and Benefit Sharing agreements, the protocol outlines specific guidelines for accessing and using genetic resources and traditional knowledge to ensure their benefits are shared fairly. 

Ultimately, the protocol aims to create incentives to conserve and sustainably use genetic resources and enhance the contribution of biodiversity to development and human well-being. 

The Nagoya Protocol aims to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from using genetic resources.To secure the permit, Nektium needed to recognize and reward the traditional knowledge of relevant indigenous groups as determined by the South African government. 

South African-based Parceval supported Nektium in this process. The distributor and manufacturer of herbal medicines and botanical extracts had already secured several BioTrade and Bioprospecting permits to supply South African natural resources responsibly and sustainably. 

Contribution to local councils 
Parceval consulted and negotiated with the San Council of South Africa and the National Khoisan Council. Nektium will share profits from any honeybush ingredients with these councils and provide their members with internships at Nektium’s facilities on the Gran Canaria island in Spain. 

“Securing the permit was a long journey, but Parceval helped guide us every step of the way. We identified a raw material supplier committed to our values and the two local councils representing the traditional knowledge holders,” highlights Regidor Garcia. 

She adds that the company has established a firm relationship with the San and Khoisan councils. “The communities they represent have existed for thousands of years, and we are hugely grateful for their depth of knowledge on sustainable honeybush use.” 

“The San and the National Khoisan Councils will have access to benefits in the form of a contribution from the commercialization of Nektium’s honeybush extract. This will be based on percentage over sales and will help to support people at the ground-level and to help them improve their lives.” 

“To empower them and share knowledge about the species and how to process it, we have planned two internships in our facilities as a non-monetary benefit-sharing contribution.” 

Through the internship program, council members can acquire new skills and knowledge to return home and uplift their communities in various ways. 

Nektium will work with local raw material supplier Agulhas Honeybush Tea, who secured a BioTrade permit in 2023.Sustainable sourcing 
Regidor Garcia underscores that sustainability is a key priority for Nektium. The company had already integrated the Nagoya Protocol’s principles into its product development strategy to promote conservation, biodiversity and fair trade. 

“When we started exploring honeybush’s potential as a nutraceutical, we soon discovered that South Africa had the whole legal framework for the protocol.”

Nektium will work with local raw material supplier Agulhas Honeybush Tea. This company secured a permit demonstrating its compliance with the Nagoya Protocol in December 2023. 

Together, the partners will ensure sustainable cultivation of honeybush to preserve wild stocks, encourage agricultural biodiversity and promote carbon sequestration. 

“This important milestone demonstrates our strong commitment to sustained and sustainable sources of raw materials for our customers. They can rest assured that we will act responsibly, delivering secure supplies that align with their own environmental and social commitments,” she asserts. 

Last year, Nektium obtained trade permits for its entire stock of Rhodiola rosea extracts by complying with the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). All Rhodiola species had been added to CITES’ Appendix II earlier that year to ensure sustainable harvesting and trade. 

By Jolanda van Hal