Conservation Policy

Over the years, the ATC has considered the many and varied proposals put forward by environmentalists and other interest groups on the need for conservation of essential oil producing plants. There have also been calls for the ATC to ban the sale of certain essential oils produced from species that are now considered threatened or endangered.

It is not in the best interest of any aromatherapy manufacturer or supplier to destroy populations of threatened and endangered plants by continuing to sell oils produced from them. Nor is it in the interest of professional aromatherapists to lose oils of importance to their therapeutic armoury. Therefore, a long-term strategy needs to be put in place, in order to protect the future of aromatherapy.

There is growing global awareness of the ever-increasing demand for medicinal and aromatic plants, and of the need to ensure they are properly protected, especially vulnerable and endangered species. Used for thousands of years to promote well-being, they are an important health and economic resource for humanity. The majority is collected in the wild and provides valuable income for rural households, especially in developing countries. However, unsustainable collection is commonly practised, which not only threatens the survival of the species, but also the livelihoods that depend on them.

There are approximately 50,000 – 70,000 plant species used in traditional and modern medicine throughout the world. More than 400,000 tonnes of medicinal and aromatic plants are traded annually, with around 80% of the species harvested from the wild. Many species are in danger of over-exploitation and even extinction through uncontrolled wild harvesting, over-collection and habitat loss.

Soaring demand

Not only is demand still continuing, it has been growing steadily and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. It begs the question, where are all the essential oils going to come from to supply this demand? This has given rise to significant concerns across the world-wide market, not only about conservation and sustainability but also of the environmental impact of increased essential oil production and over exploitation of wild populations and increased commercial development and sustainable land use.

Global demand for these plants has rocketed over recent years and is constantly increasing. It is estimated that 80% of the world’s population relies on plants and herbs for their primary healthcare needs, simply because they cannot afford western medicines. Statista reports that global sales of natural and organic cosmetics, estimated at some US$30 billion in 2021, are soaring and expected to almost double in the next 10 years. China and the Asia-Pacific region, North America and Europe are the main engines of growth.

In comparison the global essential oils market size was valued by GrandView Reasearch at USD 18.6 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at 7.4% from 2021 to 2028.

With the resulting additional demand for aromatic plants and essential oils, it is even more important that they are obtained from ethical and sustainable sources and that manufacturers and consumers alike are aware of the impact this could have on the survival of plant species and people involved in their production.

To address this issue. The Medicinal Plant Specialist Group (MPSG) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) – the world’s largest and most important conservation network – has published a new international standard based on the recognition that there is currently no international standard for wild harvesting.

Organically certified plants are already covered by international standards, but non-organic and wild harvested plants are not. These standards go a long way to meeting the urgent need to provide specific guidance for industry, resource managers, collectors, and other stakeholders on sustainable practices. Drawn up following extensive consultation with plant experts and the herbal products industry worldwide, they promote appropriate management of wild plant populations to ensure plants used in medicine and cosmetics are not over-exploited.

The ATC is a democratic organisation and following consultation with all members, the ATC adopted a policy at their 2004 AGM in September, stating the following points:

The ATC supports the maintenance of biodiversity and the conservation of plant species in natural habitats. They are essential to the interests of aromatherapy, the quality of the environment and the welfare of future generations
The ATC supports the principles of sustainable harvesting and protection of endangered species
Wild harvesting should only be undertaken with strict controls. In the usage of non-cultivated medicinal plants, ATC members should endeavour to respect The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and any relevant national regulations have been observed. Further information can be found on the Cites website.
Neither plant species nor their natural habitats are threatened by irresponsible harvesting or over-exploitation

In addition, the ATC adopted a new policy at the Annual General Meeting of September 2007:

The new International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, as enforced by the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group (MPSG) of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). This further strengthens the ATC’s policy on the conservation of plants used to produce essential oils for aromatherapy

Some ATC members are addressing these issues by supporting community projects in developing countries, offering financial support, and managing their exports, giving indigenous farmers the opportunity of presenting their products to the international market. Others are UK farmers, growers and producers who grow plants as alternative crops and distil them for essential oils. All ATC members are aware of the issues involved in the conservation and sustainability of medicinal and aromatic plants and how important they are.

Over the last 10 years, UK farmers in general have diversified and are now growing a range of alternative crops including essential oil-bearing plants, largely lavender, chamomile, peppermint together with investing in the distillation technology for field distillation. Given the seasonal nature of these crops, these grower distillers typically have spare capacity at various times of the year and often distil imported resins like frankincense and myrrh and other essential oil-bearing plants that can be dried after harvesting, imported and subsequently distilled out of season. In addition, these grower distillers, as well as supplying oils in bulk to industrial users, frequently add value to the oils by incorporating them into their own label range of consumer products. As lavender has a reasonable yield it can be grown successfully on small plots and this is another growth area in the UK where lavender and other essential oil-bearing plants are grown on city farms and small holdings, distilled on site and incorporated into own label products for sale locally or in charity/farm shops.

This is just the tip of this iceberg

ATC members have adopted a policy that will build the foundation for a long-term solution, since there is no quick fix. It is hoped that, in undertaking proactively to highlight the issues of conservation and working with all the relevant organisations, the ATC can make a real difference to preserving threatened plant species, supporting underprivileged communities with good prices and working towards a truly sustainable world. The challenges are enormous, but the rewards would be truly global.

ATC ensures that its members are fully aware of the ever-increasing global demand for medicinal and aromatic plants, including essential oils and of the need to ensure they are properly protected, in particular those species that are identified as vulnerable and endangered. Used for thousands of years to promote well-being, they are an important health and economic resource for humanity. Many are collected in the wild and provide valuable income for rural households, especially in developing countries. However, unsustainable collection methods are commonly practised, which not only threatens the survival of the species, but also the livelihoods that depend on them.

ATC supports and encourages its members to support the maintenance of biodiversity and the conservation of plant species in natural habitats. They are essential to the interests of aromatherapy, the quality of the environment and the welfare of future generations.

ATC supports the principles of sustainable harvesting and protection of endangered species and accepts that wild harvesting should only be undertaken within strict controls. Consequently, ATC has adopted the International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, as enforced by the Medicinal Plant Specialist Group (MPSG) of the IUCN (The World Conservation Union).

When trading in non-cultivated aromatic plants and extracts manufactured from them, ATC members are required to:

Respect The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and ensure that when trading aromatic plants and extracts manufactured from them, all relevant national and international regulations and conventions are observed
As far as is reasonably possible, when trading these products ensure that their activities and those of their suppliers do not threaten endangered plant species or their natural habitats by encouraging irresponsible harvesting or over-exploitation

More information can be found here:

ATC and its members encourage and support local grower distillers and community projects in UK and developing countries by offering technical and regulatory advice, financial and management support to enable local growers to supply products directly to international markets thereby enabling sustainable production and supporting a Fair Trade economy.

ATC supports and encourages its members to support UK farmers, charities and community projects with technical, regulatory and business advice to enable them to grow and market a range of alternative aromatic crops including essential oil-bearing plants, largely lavender, chamomile and peppermint, to invest in the distillation technology required for field and small-scale distillation and to add value to these oils by incorporating them into a range of consumer products and market them under their own brand for sale locally or in charity/farm shops.

ATC supports small scale growers of essential oil-bearing plants in the UK and internationally by putting them in touch with commercial grower distillers with spare capacity.

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Conservation Policy

Soaring demand

More information can be found here:

Further reading:

Conservation & sustainability

Essential oil-bearing plants: world-wide cultivation projects