Shea butter is a 100% natural vegetable butter that is extracted from the nuts of the Shea tree, also called Karite Tree.
With the “Birds, Bees & Business” project of FairClimateFund, Cordaid and Vogelbescherming Nederland (Dutch partner of BirdLife International), hard work is being done on the protection of this special tree species and a more sustainable production of shea butter in the south of Burkina Faso. To determine the precise climate impact of shea butter production, the Olvea Group (the world's largest producer of vegetable oil) asked the Impact Institute to provide insight into the carbon footprint of shea butter.
In the report below, the Impact Institute presents the results of the carbon footprint assessment of Olvea's shea butter value chain in Burkina Faso. These results have subsequently been linked to other relevant studies on traditional and industrial production processes. Finally, the main points for attention for reducing the contribution to climate change are highlighted.