Frankincense: A Co-Impact Sourcing Story

Frankincense resins have been widely sought after for thousands of years. Frankincense trees grow in some of the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in the world. Unfortunately, this lack of development and regulation can lead to exploitative conditions in the supply chain, incentives to over-harvest, and unhealthy conditions for both the harvesters and the Frankincense trees. Over-harvesting is evident in trees that have too many cuts, are cut too deep, or are not allowed to sufficiently rest between cuts. In some areas, such as Ethiopia, the largest threat to these trees’ health is land conversion, where wild-growing areas are cleared and converted to facilitate cultivated agriculture or grazing areas (particularly in Ethiopia). Such pressure on these ecological systems is threatening the longevity of the trees and their surrounding biomes.

In our pursuit of purity, dōTERRA has developed a Responsible Frankincense Strategy, or RFS, in conjunction with our sourcing partners, local governments, and university research teams. The RFS aims to establish ethical and sustainable supply chains of Frankincense resin by focusing on two objectives: 1) sustainable harvesting and land management, and 2) large-scale propagation of Frankincense trees in Ethiopia, Somaliland, and Oman. This RFS initiative is part of dōTERRA’s Cō-Impact Sourcing model which creates shared value for all stakeholders in the Frankincense supply chain by being at the source. Through the RFS, dōTERRA and its partners locate and protect trees showing signs of over-harvesting while also propagating Frankincense seedlings and cuttings to re-establish forest populations in the regions where we source.

Progress Updates:

Oman

In the Sultanate of Oman, known as the jewel of the Arabian Peninsula, dōTERRA works with Boswellia sacra harvesters in the Dhofar region. Dating back as early as 400 BC, Dhofar was the hub for the Frankincense trade route, delivering Frankincense resins around the world. Oman considers their Boswellia forests as a national heritage and created policies in the 1990s to protect them. As part of a sustainability initiative, our Boswellia sacra partner is regularly monitoring trees to ensure sustainable harvesting practices. They also run the largest private Frankincense nursery and plantation in Oman with hundreds of trees ranging from four to eight years old—with thousands of smaller trees now growing as well. These propagation efforts will eventually take pressure off existing Boswellia trees and will help replenish their population. To date, 3,200 trees have been planted. Of those trees, 2,000 are more than a year old and thriving.

Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, where dōTERRA sources Boswellia papyrifera,  land conversion (or cutting down trees to clear space) for farming, residential, or commercial purposes poses the greatest threat to the Boswellia tree population. dōTERRA is actively investigating how to best support the reforestation of Boswellia papyrifera trees and is developing both a propagation program and a sustainable harvesting training program to revitalize the Frankincense tree population in Ethiopia. In early 2021, dōTERRA’s first nursery in Ethiopia was started by planting a few hundred cuttings in the Sherkole area. These cuttings are being carefully monitored by our local partners to better understand how to scale up further nursery operations..

Somaliland

dōTERRA’s Boswellia carterii and Boswellia frereana resins come from the Cal Madow Mountain range in the Sanaag region of the self-declared state of Somaliland. Approximately one-third of the national population lives in this region, and Frankincense harvesting is the main source of employment. The trees are passed down for generations through lineage and tribal rights. doTERRA has trained and prepared a local team to identify over-harvested Frankincense trees by collecting quantitative forest density and tree health data. In 2021, dōTERRA established the Frankincense Sustainability Research Center to evaluate optimal conditions for frankincense tree cuttings.  The Center has two greenhouses with over 700 cuttings and seedlings from the Daryale and Donyaha districts.

Through dōTERRA’s Co-Impact Sourcing® initiative, dōTERRA strives to meet the needs of individuals working in the Frankincense supply chain. For example, over the years dōTERRA has contributed to the construction of warehouses built throughout the mountains where resins are collected. These warehouses function as a cooperative, organizing harvesters, sorters, and shopkeepers into a network, adding supply chain value in the rural harvesting areas. Through this network, dōTERRA’s partner is better able to provide harvesters with fair wages and on-time payments, including food and cash prepayments spread throughout the year. dōTERRA can provide a more stable and reliable income, fairness, employment, and security for those who are participating in these supply chains by working closer to the source with those who harvest, collect, and sort our Frankincense resins.

Download Brochure

In addition to the thousands of jobs supported through Frankincense harvesting activities, dōTERRA implements social impact projects to improve basic quality of life and livelihoods in harvesting areas, as well as provides educational opportunities and other life skills training with the support of dōTERRA Healing Hands.

1. Education

dōTERRA Healing Hands has assisted the efforts of leaders from multiple clans and patrilineal groups from Uurwayne, Somaliland, who united with the goal to provide education for their children. dōTERRA Healing Hands donated funds towards the construction of a school for boys and girls, ages seven through 12, with classes for older children in the evening. Approximately 120 children from 16 villages have attended the school, with an additional four-classroom school built to help 100 more students from other areas have access to education.

2. Disaster Relief

A severe drought in 2017 left more than six million Somalians—half the country’s population— devastated due to dying livestock and failing crops. dōTERRA promptly responded to the crisis by donating significant emergency drought relief funds to support 4,000 families in 32 of the most severely impacted villages.

3. Health Infrastructure.

dōTERRA Healing Hands and its local partners have donated more than $4 million to establish the Sanaag Specialty Hospital, a non-profit regional hospital located in Erigavo. This was in response to the critical health care needs in Sanaag, Somaliland’s primary Frankincense harvesting region. The hospital, which includes a 45-bed facility opened in May 2021 and provides accident and emergency, outpatient, diagnostics, maternity, and pediatric departments. The Sanaag Specialty hospital aims to be a model referral hospital by providing the most high-quality health care to the most remote, underserved populations. Improved access to these life-saving services impact tens of thousands of people living and working in the heart of Somaliland’s resin harvesting area. To view more information, please visit the hospital website by clicking here.

Additional Content:

Learn more about Frankincense oil by reading through the blog posts and sourcing story below!

Frankincense Sourcing Story

Discover Solutions: Frankincense

Frankincense Oil Uses and Benefits

The Future of Frankincense

Frankincense YouTube Playlist

Download Brochure