UEBT
UEBT is a nonprofit membership organisation that promotes ethical sourcing of botanicals through verification, certification, Biodiversity Action Plans, and sector collaboration, serving enterprises in beauty, food and beverage, flavours and fragrances, natural pharmaceuticals, and herbs and spices globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UEBT does
UEBT is a nonprofit organisation founded in 2007 and headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, with financial administration in Geneva, Switzerland. It operates a membership-based platform for companies committed to ethical sourcing of botanicals, employing approximately 60 staff across offices in Brazil, Bulgaria, China, India, Madagascar, Türkiye, and Vietnam. Its core offerings consist of the UEBT Certification of Botanicals, a joint Herbs & Spices Programme with Rainforest Alliance, and a Verification Programme for supply chain assessments against the UEBT Standard, which addresses biodiversity, human rights, fair pricing, and traceability. The organisation also delivers Biodiversity Action Plans, a Regenerative Programme add-on, a due diligence risk database, an e-learning platform, and sector initiatives such as the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba.
Revenue is generated through annual membership fees tiered by member company revenue (invoiced at the start of each calendar year with pro-rating for new members), one-time application fees set at 50% of the membership fee, verification assessment fees that vary by botanical, geography, and supply chain complexity, third-party certification audit fees paid to UEBT-approved certification bodies (ABCert, Africert, CERES, Control Union, Ecocert, QIMA, IMO Control, Indocert, Preferred by Nature, SDS, CSCA), conference ticket sales (350-995 EUR in-person, 150 EUR livestream), and e-learning subscriptions. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, supported by direct verification requests, the annual Sourcing with Respect Conference (320+ attendees, 95% private sector) as a flagship engagement event, and channel partnerships with SAI Platform and Rainforest Alliance. The underlying technology is a highly customised Salesforce platform including Experience Cloud portals, custom Lightning Web Components, complex custom objects and sharing models, integrations and APIs, and reporting/dashboarding supporting certification, verification, membership management, and audit processes.
Customer segments span beauty and personal care, food and beverage, flavours and fragrances, natural pharmaceuticals, and herbs and spices, with named members including Natura, Symrise, DSM-Firmenich, L'Oréal, Givaudan, IFF, Croda Beauty, Cargill Beauty, doTERRA, Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, and KENZO Parfums, alongside mid-sized and smaller producer organisations such as Agrifaso, Candela Perú, REFEM, Jan-Spider, and Pontes Indústria de Cera.
UEBT firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UEBT
- Legal name
- UEBT
- Website
- https://uebt.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- UEBT is a nonprofit membership organisation that promotes ethical sourcing of botanicals through verification, certification, Biodiversity Action Plans, and sector collaboration, serving enterprises in beauty, food and beverage, flavours and fragrances, natural pharmaceuticals, and herbs and spices globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UEBT industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Ethical Sourcing Certification and Verification Services
- NAICS
- Environmental Consulting Services (541620), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Regulatory Consulting & Compliance Program Management (FDA/USDA/EFSA) (AFALADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Recall Readiness, Crisis Management & Regulatory Liaison (AFALADAG), Identity & Authenticity Verification for Label Accuracy (species, varietal, adulteration) (AFALAHAF)
Keywords
Where UEBT is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices9 records
Markets served
UEBT business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: Annual membership fees invoiced at the start of every calendar year based on the total annual revenue of the member organization. First year fees are pro-rated for months of membership.
- Verification Fees: Companies pay for supply chain verification services conducted by UEBT in-house experts. The cost varies depending on botanical ingredient, geographic location, complexity of supply chain, and other considerations.
- Certification Fees: Third-party certification audits conducted by approved certification bodies. Companies pay for independent audits to achieve and maintain certification.
- Conference Revenue: Revenue from the annual UEBT Conference through ticket sales. Member organizations receive one free ticket; additional tickets and non-member tickets are priced at various rates (350-995 EUR for in-person, 150 EUR for livestream).
- Training and E-learning: Online training courses on UEBT standard, biodiversity requirements, ingredient certification, access and benefit sharing. Training is available through a Learning Platform with various modules for different stakeholders.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Membership fee structure based on company annual revenue |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Application fee for new members |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Verification assessment costs |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Conference tickets for UEBT members and non-members |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
UEBT product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UEBT operates a nonprofit membership platform that helps companies source botanical ingredients ethically. Its core offerings are third-party UEBT Certification of Botanicals, second-party Verification Programmes (including a joint programme with Rainforest Alliance for herbs and spices), supported by a Learning Platform, Biodiversity Action Plans, a Regenerative Programme, and a due diligence risk database.
Product overview
UEBT is a non-profit membership organisation offering a platform of assurance programmes for ethical botanical sourcing. The core offerings consist of two certification programmes (UEBT Certification of Botanicals and the joint UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Programme) and a Verification Programme for supply chain assessments. These are complemented by a Training/Learning Platform with e-learning modules, Biodiversity Action Plans, the Regenerative Programme add-on, due diligence tools including a risk database, sector collaboration initiatives (Initiative for Responsible Carnauba), the Wild Harvest Programme partnership with SAI Platform, a Claims and Labelling framework, and a Resources hub of publications and guidance. The UEBT platform is supported by a Salesforce-based system for certification, verification, membership management, and audit processes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UEBT Certification of Botanicals Third-party certification programme assuring that botanicals are sourced with respect for people and biodiversity. Independent auditors assess compliance with the UEBT standard in cultivation or wild collection areas, enabling consumer-facing claims and use of the UEBT certification label.
- UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Programme Joint certification programme by UEBT and Rainforest Alliance for herbs, spices, herbal/fruit infusions, and wild-collected crops. Combines the UEBT standard with selected Rainforest Alliance requirements; certified ingredients can carry the Rainforest Alliance seal.
- UEBT Verification Programme Field verification programme providing supply chain assessments against the UEBT standard by UEBT in-house experts. Improvement-focused with recommendations; allows business-to-business text claims but no consumer-facing labelling.
- UEBT Training / Learning Platform Online training platform offering video-based courses on the UEBT standard, biodiversity requirements, ingredient certification, access and benefit sharing, and auditor/assessor modules. Delivered by UEBT experts with downloadable resources.
- Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) Ingredient-specific, locally-contextualised plans for sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity in botanical supply chains. Developed in partnership with collectors, farmers, and workers; provides monitoring indicators and regenerative impact tracking.
- UEBT Regenerative Programme Programme engaging companies to promote regenerative practices based on the UEBT standard plus a regenerative module add-on. Uses Biodiversity Action Plans with regenerative impact indicators for outcome assessment.
- Due Diligence Tools and Risk Database Online resource providing risk scores on environmental and social issues at ingredient and country levels. Supports supply chain due diligence, combining country-level and ingredient-level risk assessments.
Quantifiable outcome
- 320+ participants attended 2025 UEBT Conference, with 98-99% satisfaction rate
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use UEBT
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
UEBT technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
UEBT partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- SAI PlatformcoreSAI Platform and UEBT have partnered to accelerate responsible sourcing of wild-harvested botanicals. SAI Platform has retired its Wild Harvest Sustainability Assessment (WHSA) and recommends members use UEBT's verification and certification programs. SAI Platform members gain access to UEBT's expertise, knowledge, resources, and tools specifically designed for wild-harvested supply chains.
- Rainforest AlliancecoreJoint UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices certification programme. All ingredients certified under this programme can carry the Rainforest Alliance certification seal. Programme applies to herbal and fruit infusions, other herbs and spices, and wild collected crops.
- GIZmajorGIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit) originally founded the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba (IRC) through the Project 'Private Business Action for Biodiversity,' commissioned by BMU and the International Climate Initiative. GIZ continues to support the Carnauba Worker Rights and Safety Project.
- CONTAR (National Confederation of Rural Salaried Workers)majorCONTAR partners with IRC/UEBT to support the IRC Human Rights Programme. Joint activities include human rights awareness raising and training of workers and producers, and strengthening of human rights due diligence systems of local wax processing companies.
- VeritémajorVerité partners with IRC/UEBT to support the IRC Human Rights Programme. Joint activities include human rights awareness raising and training of workers and producers.
- Associação CaatingaminorNGO partner in the Sustainable Carnauba project, part of the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba (IRC) ecosystem.
- inPACTOminorBrazilian organization that formed a working group as part of the Initiative for Responsible Carnauba (IRC) ecosystem.
- Approved Certification Bodies NetworkcoreNetwork of approved certification bodies including ABCert AG, Africert Limited, CERES, Control Union Services, Ecocert, QIMA, IMO Control, Indocert, Preferred by Nature, Sustainable Development Services, and China Standard Conformity Assessment Co. These bodies conduct third-party audits for UEBT certification programs globally.
- Conference Sponsorsmajor2026 conference sponsors include: Cargill Beauty, Croda Beauty, Parfums Christian Dior, doTERRA International LLC, Ercetin Rose Oil Inc., Guerlain, Farmforce, Givaudan, IFF, Indfrag Biosciences Pvt Ltd, KENZO Parfums, L'Oréal, MartinBauer, Natura, Refem, Symrise AG. These sponsors support the annual conference financially and demonstrate industry commitment to ethical sourcing.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
UEBT competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fairtrade International: Operates Fairtrade certification for ethically sourced agricultural commodities (including many UEBT-covered botanicals like vanilla, shea, hibiscus); directly overlaps on third-party assurance, label economics, and small-producer support.
- Rainforest Alliance: Global sustainability certification organization with a joint UEBT/Rainforest Alliance Herbs & Spices Programme; both operate multi-stakeholder standards, third-party auditing, and consumer-facing labels covering ethical agricultural and botanical sourcing.
- FairWild Foundation: Sets the FairWild Standard specifically for wild-collected plant ingredients — the closest functional overlap to UEBT's Wild Harvest Programme, addressing sustainable harvesting and fair benefit-sharing for the same buyer segments.
- Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform: Industry coalition of food and beverage companies that partnered with UEBT and retired its own Wild Harvest Sustainability Assessment; comparable as a membership-based pre-competitive platform providing sustainability tools to enterprise agri-food buyers.
Broad incumbents
- EcoVadis: Sustainability ratings platform widely used by the same enterprise buyers (beauty, F&B) that UEBT serves; overlaps as a buyer of supply-chain due-diligence evidence and competes for the same corporate sustainability budget.
- Ecocert: Major organic and sustainability certification body operating in similar botanical and personal-care ingredient markets; an approved UEBT certification body but also offers competing Cosmos/Organic labels to the same buyer base.
- Control Union: Global certification body that is simultaneously an approved third-party auditor for UEBT and a competitor offering adjacent sustainability certifications; comparable as a delivery channel for ethical-sourcing assurance services.
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Larger, longer-established multi-stakeholder standard-setter with consumer-facing label; covers forest-based botanicals and operates a parallel third-party certification architecture analogous to UEBT's, although with a different scope.
Others
- ISEAL Alliance: Membership body that defines good practice for sustainability standards and is closely tied to UEBT as a member/peer; supports credibility frameworks that UEBT relies on for Codes of Good Practice conformance.
- Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) – historical/initiating entity: Same organization; included here as the strategic apex only for completeness — UEBT itself is the canonical reference for ethical-botanical-trade assurance and serves as the implicit benchmark against which the above peers are measured.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
UEBT social profiles
Digital presenceUEBT financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UEBT leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
UEBT funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UEBT M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UEBT
What does UEBT do?
UEBT operates a nonprofit membership platform that helps companies source botanical ingredients ethically. Its core offerings are third-party UEBT Certification of Botanicals, second-party Verification Programmes (including a joint programme with Rainforest Alliance for herbs and spices), supported by a Learning Platform, Biodiversity Action Plans, a Regenerative Programme, and a due diligence risk database.
Is UEBT a public or private company?
UEBT is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was UEBT founded?
UEBT was founded in 2007. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is UEBT based?
UEBT is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does UEBT make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are verification Fees, certification Fees, conference Revenue and training and E-learning.
Who are UEBT's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fairtrade International, Rainforest Alliance, FairWild Foundation and Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform. Broad incumbents are EcoVadis, Ecocert, Control Union and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Others are ISEAL Alliance and Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) – historical/initiating entity.
Does UEBT have an API?
No public API is recorded for UEBT.
What industry is UEBT in?
UEBT's product category is Ethical Sourcing Certification and Verification Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALADAC, Regulatory Consulting & Compliance Program Management (FDA/USDA/EFSA), with a secondary code of AFALADAG, Recall Readiness, Crisis Management & Regulatory Liaison. Its NAICS code is 541620 and its SIC code is 700.