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AAK is joining the FairWild Week 2026 campaign, themed “Wild Wisdom,” and says its certified Kolo Nafaso shea-sourcing program puts the campaign’s principles into practice. The company describes training and business support for women shea collectors, but the source gives no outcome data or campaign-specific targets.
AAK says it has joined the FairWild Week 2026 Declaration, a campaign promoting responsible wild harvesting, and is pointing to its FairWild-certified Kolo Nafaso shea program in West Africa as an example of the approach. The campaign, running October 5–10 under the theme “Wild Wisdom,” focuses on landscape-specific harvesting practices and the knowledge of local communities.
The campaign is organised by FairWild and its participants. Its declaration says harvesting limits should reflect what each landscape can sustain, rather than applying one generic limit everywhere. It also calls for collectors to be paid fairly, kept safe and treated with respect, while recognising the rights and customary knowledge of local communities.
AAK says its Kolo Nafaso program was established in 2009 and works with women shea collectors and their communities. The company describes the program as based on respect for local practices and close collaboration, and says it provides business opportunities and targeted training intended to empower collectors and support communities.
Jakob Nybroe, AAK’s sustainability manager for West Africa, said the company was proud to support FairWild Week and highlight the organisation’s work to safeguard local landscapes and the people who depend on them. AAK said it would continue working with the FairWild network through its certified supply chain to support the resilience of shea parklands.
Standards for Wild Shea Sourcing
The announcement connects a global campaign about wild-harvested plants to a specific commercial supply chain. Shea is sourced from trees growing in parklands across West Africa, and livelihoods in the region are tied to collection and trade. AAK’s statement presents certification and work with collectors as ways to align demand for shea with ecological limits and local needs.
The issue extends beyond one ingredient. FairWild estimates that 1.2 billion people globally depend directly on nature to meet basic needs, while wild plants provide food, medicine and livelihoods for millions more. Growing demand for wild ingredients can bring income, but harvesting without safeguards can place pressure on species and the communities that rely on them. The declaration’s emphasis on conditions specific to each landscape speaks to that tension.
For buyers and brands, the announcement also highlights the role of standards in sourcing claims. AAK identifies its program as FairWild-certified, but the information provided does not quantify its environmental or social outcomes. The commitment is relevant to readers tracking sustainable sourcing, while measurable results would be needed to assess its effects.
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FairWild’s Landscape-Based Approach
FairWild’s “Wild Wisdom” theme describes knowledge built through generations of experience with particular plants, seasons and landscapes. The 2026 declaration argues that harvesting decisions should be shaped by local conditions and by the people who know and work the land. It also calls for fair payment, safety and respect for community rights, rather than relying on policies applied uniformly from a distance.
The campaign’s case for safeguards draws on conservation concerns. FairWild says that of nearly 60,000 tree species worldwide, close to a third are threatened with extinction. It also says only 21% have had their conservation status formally assessed. These figures indicate gaps in knowledge about species risk; they do not establish the status of the shea trees in AAK’s supply chain.
FairWild sets ecological and social criteria for harvesters, traders and brands, according to the source report. AAK says Kolo Nafaso is certified under the scheme. The information available does not detail the program’s audit process, sourcing volumes or individual performance measures.
““By creating stronger business opportunities and providing targeted training, we aim to empower the women collectors, support local communities, and help ensure the long-term resilience of the shea parklands.””
— AAK
Program Results Still Unreported
The source material does not provide figures for how many women participate in Kolo Nafaso, how much shea it sources, or how training and business support have changed incomes or working conditions. It also gives no measurements of harvesting levels, shea-tree health or other ecological effects linked to the program.
AAK describes Kolo Nafaso as FairWild-certified, but the available information does not specify the certification’s assessment results, audit dates or the scope of the certified supply chain. The global conservation figures cited by FairWild are not specific to shea or to the landscapes where AAK sources ingredients. The campaign’s declaration sets out commitments, but the source does not say how those commitments will be monitored or reported.
Campaign Runs in October 2026
FairWild Week is scheduled for October 5–10, 2026. AAK says it will continue working with FairWild through the certified Kolo Nafaso supply chain, but it has not announced new targets, funding or a timetable for reporting results in the source material.
Further details about participation and any campaign updates may come from FairWild and its partners during the week. Readers seeking to evaluate the program’s impact will need more information on certification assessments, collector participation, livelihood outcomes and ecological monitoring.
Key Questions
What is AAK announcing?
AAK says it has joined the FairWild Week 2026 Declaration and is highlighting its FairWild-certified Kolo Nafaso shea-sourcing program in West Africa.
What does “Wild Wisdom” mean in the campaign?
It refers to knowledge of particular landscapes, species and harvesting seasons, including the experience of local communities. The declaration says harvesting practices should reflect what each place can sustain.
What is the Kolo Nafaso program?
AAK says it established the program in 2009 to source shea in West Africa through collaboration with women collectors and their communities. The company says it provides business opportunities and targeted training.
When is FairWild Week 2026?
The campaign is scheduled for October 5–10, 2026.
Are the program’s results quantified?
Not in the source material. It gives no participation totals, sourcing volumes, income data or ecological measurements for Kolo Nafaso, so the program’s reported aims cannot be assessed against quantified outcomes here.
Source: rss
