COMMUNITY

Zuplex partners with Muthi Futhi, an award-winning community business and a major shareholder in Zuplex. Muthi Futhi not only cultivates and processes medicinal plants, it also works with other community groups on the sustainable harvesting of botanicals such as the fruit of Kigelia africana. Muthi Futhi is both a shareholder in Zuplex, and a preferred supplier of botanical raw materials.

This partnership means that the rural community of Dakeni, deep in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, benefits directly as Zuplex grows. This in turn leads to the creation of more jobs for women in the community, and to reinvestment in other social and environmental initiatives that benefit the whole community.

The partnership with Muthi Futhi has contributed to Zuplex receiving funding support from the Industrial Development Corporation Social Enterprise Fund. 

Zuplex-Community-shareholders

OUR COMMUNITY SHAREHOLDERS

One of the most important shareholders in Zuplex is an African village community trust that owns 32% of the company – a significant portion. The village is called Dakeni and is situated on the banks of the famous Thukela River in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Trust operates a medicinal and cosmetic plant cultivation project and this allows for the employment of rural women from the village.

Zuplex provides two seperate income streams for the Trust: firstly they receive a direct income from sales of plant material to Zuplex, then when the plants are beneficiated into cosmetic ingredients and sold, dividends from Zuplex can be ploughed back into community development projects. Such projects could include clean drinking water, food gardens and creches.

This partnership means that Zuplex is both a commercial and a social enterprise, with the dual objective of generating revenue, and re-investing in social development.

PROTECTING OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

A sustainable global economy must combine long-term profitability with environmental care. We therefore strive to minimise adverse environmental effects across all processes, including sourcing, manufacture, packaging and transportation. This includes reducing energy consumption, and minimising and managing waste responsibly.

Zuplex complies with national and international bioprospecting regulations under the framework of the Nagoya Protocol, and ensures that its suppliers are also compliant.

Zuplex works to ensure that all botanical material, whether cultivated or harvested, is fully traceable, and that the supply of each species is managed to ensure sustainability. Our cosmetic extracts are Cosmos approved.

Play Video

Learn more about our community partnership