We act and stand for

1. We act ecologically

Aloe vera of controlled organic cultivation

On our Finca in the south of Spain, we have a certified organic cultivation of aloe vera plants. Growing, harvesting and processing of the fresh plants are done by hand. We can therefore guarantee the highest purity and quality of our raw material aloe vera, save energy, protect the environment and create more jobs than an automated production facility.

Organic cultivation is generally the most sustainable form of agriculture and results in many positive environmental effects: soil fertility, biodiversity, groundwater and flood protection, GMO-free status and poverty reduction.

Resources from organic cultivation projects and from certified partner companies

For our products we use raw materials from certified organic cultivation or wild harvesting. An exceptional case only appears when certified resources are temporarily not available. This can happen due to poor harvesting or weather conditions.

We refuse to utilize genetically modified resources as they are not compatible with our company values: Genetically modified organisms (GMO) involve unpredictable risks for our environment and ourselves. Genetic engineering has a negative impact on biodiversity, endangers traditional agriculture and affects natural cycles in an irreversible way.

Our 100 % pure aloe vera juice aloepur as well as the majority of materials that we use for our cosmetic products bear the EU organic seal for organic production. It is based on the Commission Regulation No 834/2007 and 889/2008. The EU organic seal (www.oekolandbau.de) is standardized and recognized throughout the European Union, marks resources from organic cultivation without genetic engineering or mineral nitrogen fertilizer. It requests species-appropriate livestock farming, the reduction of energy consumption and the protection of reserves of raw materials.

We refuse to use chemically synthesized fragrances, colourings and preservatives, mineral oil or parabens. This can be guaranteed as all of our Santaverde cosmetic products are NATRUE certified (www.natrue.org). NATRUE is an internationally recognized label, which is known for its demanding quality standards regarding ingredients and production processes of cosmetic products.

Eco-friendly advertising materials, packaging and climate-neutral shipping

Our packaging and all our advertising materials have to meet our core values as well. Advertising materials such as leaflets, catalogues and folded cards are printed on fully recycled paper. For product packaging we use FSC paper (www.fsc-deutschland.de) which originates from European sustainable forestry, supporting the environmentally compatible, socially acceptable and economically sustainable utilization of our forests. Deforestation or genetic engineering is prohibited while indigenous tree species are grown.

All our packages and advertising materials are printed climate-neutral with inks based on vegetable oils. Regarding our packages it is from importance to us to reduce waste to an absolute minimum and to not conduct green washing. Please also read more for a full comment regarding our packaging.

Our transport packaging also consists of FSC, monomaterial as well as grasspaper and we reduce plastic materials to a minimum. Furthermore we ship packages within Germany environmentally friendly and climate-neutral with DHL Go Green.

2. We act fair and social

Cultivation project for fair trade coconut oil

The development of our products consequently follows our aim to make use of as many raw ingredients from organic cultivation, wild harvesting and fair trade as possible. Our coconut oil, which is a component of many of our products, is Naturland Fair certified (www.naturland.de) and comes from Sri Lanka.

Supporting the human rights organisation TARGET: Rainforest protection projects in the Brazilian Amazon region

3. We love animals

Against animal experiments

Animal welfare is dear to our hearts complementing our understanding of ecology and ethics. Testing cosmetic products and raw materials with the help of animal experiments is prohibited throughout the EU. However, these animal protection laws are not valid beyond EU borders. We support the worldwide efforts against animal testing. For this reason all of our Santaverde products bear the internationally recognized Leaping Bunny Logo (www.crueltyfreeinternational.org).

We never use ingredients from animal origin – neither during the production process nor within our final products. Every single Santaverde product is vegan and bears the official Vegan Trademark of the Vegan Society (www.vegansociety.com).

Dedication for stray animals

On our finca near Estepona we provide a permanent home to abandoned dogs as often as we can. Usually, four to five dogs live with us. They enjoy the lively ambience of the production process and the caresses from our visitors. We adopt our dogs through the organization Adana (www.adana.es), who takes care of countless stray animals. Santaverde supports the intake station with material and monetary donations.

4. We make use of what already exists

Our head office in Hamburg

In 2012 the private residence of family Beer became to be too small to accommodate both, the family as well as the company Santaverde. Hence, Santaverde decided to bring a former chocolate factory adjacent to a park with ancient trees from the 18th century in Groß Borstel, Hamburg, back to life. Instead of developing a new building and thus consuming tons of raw materials, the old building was revitalized with the help of architect Ingo Pott. Studios and lofts were built on the 7,000 square metre site and completed with glass, concrete and untreated steel.

Processed and chemically treated materials where reduced to an absolute minimum. The floor either remained concrete or was covered with oiled wood. The furniture is also made from wood, recycled wood residues and a little bit of low-energy plastic material without coating. The building is thermally insulted and a switch to gas and green electricity was made.