Fairly Traded Honey

Where do we get it?

Lush UK and Japan manufacturing sites purchase Zambian honey from two different sources:

COMACO, East Zambia - In the 1980s, the Luangwa valley was experiencing food shortages, malnutrition and a drastic decline in wildlife due to poaching and deforestation. So, COMACO (Community Markets for Conservation) was created in the early 2000s, driven by the desire to make life better for everything and everyone in the valley. Their model is to provide extensive training, support and economic security to farmers or anyone wishing to become one, including women and former illegal poachers. The people involved must make a Conservation Pledge, agreeing to abide by a set of principles decided by the community and designed to protect the health of their soils, forests and wildlife. The economic stability brought to COMACO’s farmers by agriculture, beekeeping and conservation has helped to considerably reduce poaching in the region. Nutritious crops bring food security to the villagers, and the beehives have brought back value to the forest. Rather than a source of charcoal, it’s become the bees' environment. Today the company works with over 179,000 farmers in eastern Zambia. 52% of them are women, as are half of the cooperatives’ leaders. Wildlife is slowly but surely returning to the Luangwa valley, including elephant populations.

North West Zambia - This supplier collects and sorts honey from many farmers in the region whose beekeeping practices have been shared between villagers and through generations. The honey is produced by wild bees. The hives are handcrafted from tree bark and hung on branches in uncultivated forests, meaning the honey is pesticide-free. Farmers receive a fair price and support an environmentally stable supply chain. They sell their honey to Lush while retaining enough to trade in their own domestic market.

With seven manufacturing sites across the globe, this information may vary depending on where your Lush products were made.

Animal Welfare

At Lush, we agree that the modern honey industry treats bees like farmed animals. To ensure their welfare is respected in our supply chain, we work with beekeepers who understand the importance of managing hives with consideration and of working in a minimally invasive way. We do not allow the use of harmful practices such as queen wing clipping or artificial rearing.

Where possible, we aim to work directly with beekeepers, but in any case, we ask for full traceability and adherence to our high standards. We actively encourage and select those who go beyond organic beekeeping and implement regenerative practices that positively impact local wildlife and the hives’ environment.

What are the benefits of honey for your scalp and hair?

• Humectant
• Antimicrobial
• Antioxidant
• Protective
• Conditioning
• Nutrient-rich

Because of its remarkable antimicrobial and humectant properties, honey also contributes to the preservation of products’ formulae.

Unique stories

Bees collect nectar from flowers and carry it to their hives where the worker bees convert it into honey. Half a kilogram of honey contains the essence of about two million flowers and the colour, fragrance and properties of honey vary depending on the varieties foraged. Bees need to make thousands of round trips to collect nectar, and a single bee produces only about a teaspoon of honey during its lifetime.