Going the extra mile: How organic businesses are working to benefit societies and communities 

In this blog, we hear from three of our organic certified businesses on the impact their businesses continue to have, speaking at Soil Association Certification’s annual Organic Trade Conference 2024.

They share how being organic enhances their business values, the motivations and thinking behind doing more for the people in their local communities and within organic supply chains, and how they move their actions beyond tokenism. 

Fairness continues to guide 

“Organic is just about ‘no pesticides’” jokes Lee Holdstock, Senior Business and Trade Development Manager at Soil Association Certification, as he introduces a panel of organic businesses going beyond the standards set to reach organic status.  

Organic businesses by virtue have a highly ethical approach to business – the principles of fairness, health and ecology are codified within the organic standard to which they adhere. But production still encounters inherent issues with access to land, rural development, local economies, and gender equity, among others. “The principle of fairness continues to guide organic standards” says Lee, and organic businesses are well placed to develop this area, going above and beyond the standards, putting their ethics and values at the very centre of their operations. Being organic is at the forefront of ethical businesses and their decision making, and vice versa; for ethical businesses it is a natural move to make the conversion to organic, and reap the wide-ranging benefits that organic can bring. 

 

English Tea Shop Organic – A brave step away from conventional systems 

English Tea Shop Organic (ETS) was a conventional producer of tea before making the switch to organic in 2010, when they certified with Soil Association Certification. The switch to organic exempted them from the Sri Lankan tea auction system - a relic of British colonial rule that constrains value sharing. Suranga Herath, CEO, says the reason for making the conversion was “purely social”, as dependence on “conventional agriculture was killing systems and people”.  

A conversation about people

English Tea Shop’s organic story is a social and people story first and foremost. The move to organic production was a huge risk to an already profitable business; “there was no problem to fix, but the conversation started and ended with ‘people’”. It took a few years for Suranga and his team to fully realise the benefits of organic. “We had zero experience in organic… Building nature, joining in with climate actions, is all by coincidence”, as the focus was fully on supporting their people. English Tea Shop is now fully owned by their farmers and employees, giving back to those at the very heart of the tea supply chain in Sri Lanka.

Switching to organic has opened the door for English Tea Shop in other ways beyond solidifying their ethical people standards. “People trust English Tea Shop to be ethical”, says Suranga, explaining how the move to organic and communicating organic standards built on existing credibility and customer loyalty.

Organic as a repositioning tool

On the often low price of tea, Suranga says “we used to compare tea to water. Tea is in a cheap position. We now compare it to things like toilet paper. Globally, toilet paper is more premium than tea. We needed to differentiate and reposition tea”. Organic has offered that differentiation.

Acknowledging that producing in the Global South whilst marketing in Global North brings pricing challenges, Suranga says, “Price is important when you are responsible for the lives of the people at the bottom of the production chain”. English Tea Shop’s model is an answer to that, by incorporating farmers into the mix so fully. Absorbing farmer’s organic certification, paying higher prices for organic production, supporting tea farmers to expand and export their product themselves - “that makes us proud”, notes Suranga.

Read more about English Tea Shop’s purpose on their website.

 

Organic Cotton Accelerator – Rejecting tokenism to create a fundamentally fair system

Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) is a multi-stakeholder initiative, uniting the organic cotton supply chain to create resilience and transparency in the industry, and furthering cotton farmer prosperity.

OCA connects organic cotton farmers to over 60 major fashion brands including Zara, H&M and Patagonia, and their suppliers. “It’s a chunky set of supply chains” says Bart Vollaard, OCA’s Executive Director, and these supply chains are often murky. “Suppliers often do pay more for organic cotton – but it’s not transparent how much of that goes back directly to the source”, continues Bart. OCA is focused on changing the global supply chain – “not a granular focus, but huge”. 

A collective responsibility

“To unleash organic’s potential, you need to focus on the farmers.” Most organic cotton is produced by smallholders living in relative poverty, who need to ensure they are paid fairly to continue with organic production and increase yields. “Higher prices for organic cotton garments don’t translate to higher prices for farmers at the start of the supply chain – the industry needs to carry the responsibility as a collective” says Bart.

Over 100,000 farmers are currently connected to OCA. Organic production is the crux of the model, and allows OCA to deliver on their responsibilities to people and planet. There are many incentives for conventional cotton farmers to take the plunge and convert to organic – joining OCA as a producer brings integrity and trust from retailers and buyers. For retailers, OCA “allows brands and retailers to meet their sustainability goals… organic is a beautiful vehicle for delivering against these strategies”. It’s a model creating real growth on the ground – the more brands and the more investment on board, the more farmers converting to organic and joining OCA. But investment and farmer income remain key. “Organic cotton needs to be competitive with conventional cotton, otherwise what is the incentive for farmers struggling economically?” asks Bart.

Creating a fair sourcing system

There are tangible benefits for communities where farmers are paid a fair wage for their organic cotton, including education for children, agronomic training, and access to digital, including crucially, access to online banking, which helps with ensuring transparent payments from further on in the supply chain. But Bart is clear that community benefits must be a side-shoot of an industry focusing on responsible sourcing and go beyond run of the mill corporate social responsibility. “No community benefits can happen without companies creating a fair system via fundamental actions - responsible sourcing is more important than token add-ons like funding a school”.

You can read more impact stories from Organic Cotton Accelerator on their website.

 

Bore Place – A remedy for disconnection with nature and food

Bore Place is an organic dairy farm and market garden in Kent, and is also home to the Commonwork Trust, a charity on a mission to connect people with the land around them, combining respect for the planet with social justice. Dr Anna Bullen, Bore Place’s Executive Director, explains that the charity was created in response to “an exploitation of resources, and increasing inequality in society… to provide those with less privilege with the opportunity to access nature.” In this, Anna agrees with Bart, saying “it can’t be a tokenistic add on”. 

 

“If a nation's health depends on the way its food is grown, then agriculture must be looked upon as one of the health services”, said Lady Eve Balfour, Soil Association’s founder. Bore Place are working with the NHS on its pioneering social prescribing service, to allow those with applicable medical complaints the ability to access remedial time in nature, offering respite, and taking part in activities with purpose and meaning. But the trust’s gates are open to anyone in the local community, currently welcoming 200 children a week, 70% of whom have additional educational needs, as well as other community groups and individuals.

“You don’t do farming to get rich” 
The organic approach to the farming side of the business is a no-brainer, as the company values align so holistically with the organic standards, particularly the pillar of fairness. “It isn’t and was never going to be just a farm, it’s always been about community engagement”, says Anna. There’s a behaviour change element to the immersive education programmes available at the farm. “We’ve known for 50 years that there’s a climate crisis. It’s the difference between giving people information and giving them the opportunity to experience it.” All of the opportunities that Bore Place offer are key to gently “opening the eyes to organic farming and organic land management”, allowing visitors to feel and live their experiences in nature and everything it has to offer, “and that then has a knock-on effect on their everyday lives”.

“It cannot be net zero at any cost”
Yet Anna is very clear that people living with a societal disadvantage are not the problem when it comes to climate. “It cannot be net zero at any cost. It’s got to be net zero in a just and fair way, where we bring everyone with us. Where you’ve got affluence, you’ve got the biggest carbon footprints. I’m in a position where I can influence those emitters whilst also providing opportunities for the less privileged in society.”

You can read more about Bore Place and the Commonwork Trust on their website.