Fairwild Foundation
FairWild Foundation is a Swiss non-profit (founded 2008) that owns and administers the FairWild certification standard for sustainably and ethically wild-collected plant ingredients, serving operators, traders, and brand licensees across four continents.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fairwild Foundation does
FairWild Foundation is a Swiss non-profit charitable foundation registered in Zürich on 16 May 2008 that develops, owns, and administers the FairWild certification standard for wild-collected plant and fungi ingredients. The foundation operates a single integrated standard that combines ecological sustainability criteria (evolved from the ISSC-MAP framework developed 2001-2006), fair trade principles, and ILO labour standards. Certification is delivered through approved third-party control bodies that conduct annual on-site audits on a 15-month cycle, with a five-year collaborative certification journey. The foundation also operates two financial instruments - the FairWild Premium Fund and the FairWild Operator Support Fund - that channel licensee and buyer contributions back into wild plant collector communities.
Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring operator certification fees, recurring trader and processor registration fees, licensee fees structured as a recurring percentage of product sales (which function as royalties on use of the FairWild word mark and design mark), and donations including via 1% for the Planet. The foundation serves three participant tiers - wild plant collection operators, traders and processors, and finished-product brand licensees - plus retailers, with 100+ companies participating across 98 species and over 10 countries on four continents, and approximately 60,000 tonnes of certified wild plant resources traded annually. The Secretariat is operationally hosted at TRAFFIC International's Cambridge office under a long-standing institutional partnership.
Named customers include enterprise licensees such as Traditional Medicinals (since 2009), Pukka Herbs (since 2012), Neal's Yard Remedies (since 2013), Chantecaille (since 2018), Banyan Botanicals (since 2017), Amouage (since 2025), and AAK Personal Care (accredited March 2026), together with operators and processors including RUNO sp. z o.o., Baobab Exports, Organic Herb Trading, and Synarome. Strategic partners include TRAFFIC International (operational host), IUCN, WWF, 1% for the Planet, ProFound, the Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network, BfN, SIPPO, IMO, and Forum Essenzia e.V.
Fairwild Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fairwild Foundation
- Legal name
- FairWild Foundation
- Website
- https://fairwild.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- FairWild Foundation is a Swiss non-profit (founded 2008) that owns and administers the FairWild certification standard for sustainably and ethically wild-collected plant ingredients, serving operators, traders, and brand licensees across four continents.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fairwild Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainability Certification
- NAICS
- Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services (AFALAMAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support) (BPAGALAL), Organic Certification Services (AFALAMAA)
Keywords
Where Fairwild Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Fairwild Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Operator Certification Fees: Wild plant collection operations (operators) pay for annual third-party audits conducted by approved control bodies. Certificates are valid for 15 months with annual audits required.
- Trader Registration Fees: Wholesalers, ingredient distributors and intermediate processors of FairWild ingredients pay an annual registration fee to FairWild Foundation.
- Licensee Fees: Finished product brand holders pay a licensee fee annually based on a percentage of product sales for use of the FAIRWILD word or design mark.
- Donations and Partnerships: FairWild Foundation as a Swiss non-profit receives donations including through 1% for the Planet membership, where corporate members commit 1% of sales to environmental causes.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Fairwild Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
FairWild Foundation develops and manages the FairWild Standard and FairWild Certification — a third-party audited sustainability certification system for wild-collected plant ingredients. The foundation certifies wild plant collection operations (operators), registers traders and processors, and licenses finished product brand holders to use the FairWild word and design mark. Supporting services include the FairWild Premium Fund for collector community development and the FairWild Operator Support Fund for business resilience.
Product overview
FairWild Foundation operates as a certification and standards organization managing a unified system of sustainability certification for wild-collected products. The core offerings include the FairWild Standard (principles and criteria for ecological, social, and economic sustainability) and FairWild Certification (third-party audited verification). Supporting services encompass the FairWild Premium Fund for collector community development and the Operator Support Fund for business resilience. The Foundation serves three participant categories: Operators (wild plant collectors and collection operations), Traders and Processors (ingredient traders), and Licensees (finished product brands). Resources are available through the Knowledge Hub and a searchable participant directory.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- FairWild Certification
- FairWild Standard
- FairWild Operator Support Fund
- FairWild Premium Fund
- FairWild for Producers (Operator Certification Pathway)
- FairWild for Traders and Brands (Registration and Licensing Service)
- FairWild for Retailers (Sourcing Guidance and Engagement Service)
Quantifiable outcome
- 60,000 tonnes of FairWild-certified wild plant resources traded globally every year
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fairwild Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Fairwild Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Fairwild Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- TRAFFIC InternationalcoreLong-standing institutional partnership with TRAFFIC International for FairWild projects worldwide. TRAFFIC hosts the FairWild Secretariat and provides staff positions to act on behalf of the FairWild Foundation. Partnership agreement defines governance structure.
- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)coreIUCN contributed to development of ISSC-MAP (2001-2006), now merged into FairWild Standard. The Medicinal Plant Specialist Group (MPSG), founded by IUCN Species Survival Commission in 1994, works on conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants globally.
- WWFcoreWWF contributed to development of ISSC-MAP (2001-2006). Mission focuses on stopping degradation of planet's natural environment and building future where humans live in harmony with nature.
- Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN)minorWFEN conserves threatened wildlife while contributing to economic vitality of rural communities. FairWild Foundation and WFEN promote concurrent implementation of both organizations' standards and explore other avenues of collaboration.
- 1% for the PlanetminorFairWild is an environmental partner of 1% for the Planet, a global movement inspiring businesses and individuals to support environmental causes. FairWild receives annual donations from corporate members of 1% for the Planet.
- German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN)coreBfN contributed to development of ISSC-MAP between 2001 and 2006, which defines guidelines and provides tools for collectors, producers and decision makers for sustainable resource management.
- IMO (Institute for Marketecology)coreIMO created the original FairWild Standard v1.0 in 2006 and performed organic inspections and audits worldwide. Elisabeth Rüegg was a co-founder and held management positions within IMO Group until 2012.
- SIPPO (Swiss Import Promotion Programme)coreSIPPO worked with Forum Essenzia e.V. and IMO to create the original FairWild Standard v1.0 in 2006, intended for implementation jointly with other organic or ecological standards.
- Forum Essenzia e.V.corePartnered with SIPPO and IMO to create the original FairWild Standard v1.0 in 2006, based on Fair Trade principles and ILO Standards.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Fairwild Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- EcoCert: France-based certification body for organic, cosmetic and natural ingredient standards; comparable as a third-party certifier serving brands in cosmetics and food with sustainability claims on natural ingredients.
- Fairtrade International / FLOCERT: Global fair-trade certification body covering agricultural products, textiles and more; comparable as a fair-trade certification standard with third-party auditing, though broader than wild-plant ingredients.
- Rainforest Alliance: Major sustainability certification covering forestry, agriculture and tourism; comparable as a third-party audited sustainability standard addressing biodiversity and livelihoods, though broader in scope than wild plants.
- USDA Organic / NOP: Government-backed organic certification widely used by natural-product brands; comparable as an established third-party sustainability claim that FairWild complements or stacks with for wild-collected ingredients.
- Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): Leading sustainability certification for forest products; relevant as an analogous voluntary standard combining ecological and social criteria with third-party auditing for natural-resource supply chains.
- IUCN Species Survival Commission: Global conservation authority that co-developed ISSC-MAP, predecessor to the FairWild Standard; comparable as an institutional partner influencing policy and conservation standards for wild plant species.
Direct peers
- IMO Institute for Marketecology: Swiss-based inspection and certification body for organic and sustainability standards, including botanical ingredients; closely comparable as it co-developed the original FairWild Standard and still operates in adjacent certification domains.
- Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT): Certification for ethical sourcing of ingredients from biodiversity, directly overlapping FairWild's combination of biodiversity conservation and ethical supply-chain verification for natural ingredients.
- TRAFFIC International: Wildlife trade monitoring NGO that hosts the FairWild Secretariat; comparable as a conservation-focused organization working on sustainable trade in wild species, with deep institutional overlap.
Emerging players
- Bird Friendly / Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center: Certification for biodiversity-friendly production systems; comparable as a niche, mission-driven third-party certification that, like FairWild, links biodiversity outcomes with verified agricultural/wild-collection practices.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fairwild Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceFairwild Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Fairwild Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fairwild Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Fairwild Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fairwild Foundation 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 Fairwild Foundation
What does Fairwild Foundation do?
FairWild Foundation develops and manages the FairWild Standard and FairWild Certification — a third-party audited sustainability certification system for wild-collected plant ingredients. The foundation certifies wild plant collection operations (operators), registers traders and processors, and licenses finished product brand holders to use the FairWild word and design mark. Supporting services include the FairWild Premium Fund for collector community development and the FairWild Operator Support Fund for business resilience.
Is Fairwild Foundation a public or private company?
Fairwild Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Fairwild Foundation founded?
Fairwild Foundation was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fairwild Foundation based?
Fairwild Foundation is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Fairwild Foundation make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Operator Certification Fees are the primary driver. The others are trader Registration Fees, licensee Fees and donations and Partnerships.
Who are Fairwild Foundation's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are EcoCert, Fairtrade International / FLOCERT, Rainforest Alliance, USDA Organic / NOP, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and IUCN Species Survival Commission. Direct peers are IMO Institute for Marketecology, Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) and TRAFFIC International. Bird Friendly / Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fairwild Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fairwild Foundation.
What industry is Fairwild Foundation in?
Fairwild Foundation's product category is Sustainability Certification. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFALAMAD, Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing Certification Services, with a secondary code of BPAGALAL, Fair Trade & Ethical Supply Chains (Certification, Traceability, Producer Support). Its NAICS code is 813312 and its SIC code is 8734.