EMPOWERING WOMEN

A STORY OF EMANCIPATION

The story of L’OCCITANE and the women shea butter producers of Burkina Faso began in the 1980s. Since then, for over 30 years, L’OCCITANE has sourced hundreds of tons of organic, fair-trade shea butter from five cooperatives in Burkina Faso, which bring together over 10,000 women. And since 2009, our shea butter supply chain has been 100% Fair Trade (Fair Trade certified according to the Fair for Life standard available at www.fairforlife.org).

A Timeline

Shea butter is called "women’s gold" in Burkina Faso.

By tradition, it is only women who harvest the shea nuts and make shea butter.

Women in Burkina Faso are the pillars of society and play a key role in the country's economic and social development.

OUR COMMITMENT

Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. If we do nothing, more than 3.7 million women would still live in a state of poverty. By supporting and empowering Burkinabe women, we can help lift them out of poverty.

OUR MISSION AS A BRAND

L’OCCITANE has exceeded its goal of empowering 33,000 women in Burkina Faso and has set a new objective of 60,000 for 2025.

In 2018, L’OCCITANE, in collaboration with its Foundation, committed to support over 33,000 women in Burkina Faso in their socioeconomic development by the end of 2020. This goal has been achieved and greatly exceeded. To date, more than 42,600 women have been supported in Burkina Faso.

THE RESIST PROGRAMME

In 2018, L'OCCITANE launched the RESIST programme (Resilience, Ecology, Strengthening, Independence, Structuration, Training), holistic programme that aims to protect the resources of 10,000 women in Burkina Faso facing economic & climatic challenges.

Through it, we are able to help the women of Burkina Faso:
• protect their shea trees and have access to organic areas to collect the shea nuts,
• consolidate their shea butter supply chain,
• diversify their incomes by finding new customers for their shea butter,
• develop new activities, such as producing bissap.

The aim? To help them become more financially autonomous.

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO WOMEN'S LIVES

By earning their own income and developing their activities, the women shea butter producers in Burkina Faso are able to improve their social status. They can contribute more to household expenses and help to pay for their children's education. The whole family benefits!

PROMOTING WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP

In Burkina Faso, our Foundation works on ways to open up opportunities for women and offer them a brighter future. By focusing on literacy, microcredits, education for girls and entrepreneurship, we can help to break the cycle of illiteracy and give women entrepreneurs a much-needed financial boost.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

ENCOURAGING WOMEN TO UNLEASH THEIR POTENTIAL

We need more women entrepreneurs! That's why the L'OCCITANE Foundation has joined forces with the NGO "Entrepreneurs du Monde" to help women develop economic initiatives and generate additional incomes. Through our "L'OCCITANE pour Elles" competition, we've helped four determined winners to pursue their business dreams.

THE FOUNDATION

The L’OCCITANE Foundation supports women and girls from the community though a project especially for girls education but also the professional training and entrepreneurship of women and very recently through urgent humanitarian action that the country is facing today. Each year, for this project, L'OCCITANE gave around €400,000 to support those projects and around 40,000 girls and women that benefit today from the Burkina Faso foundation.

Shea Butter Ingredient

The story of L'OCCITANE and the women shea butter producers of Burkina Faso began in the 1980s. Since then, we've built up a joint development partnership and a close, supportive relationship. There were about a dozen women at first. Now there are over 10,000! And since 2009, our shea butter supply chain has been 100% Fair Trade.

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