Purpose-led botanical wellness company joins rigorous global standard for social responsibility and environmental sustainability, responding to growing consumer demand for certified ethical products
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / September 4, 2025 / Traditional Medicinals, the leading botanical wellness company and Certified B Corporation, announced it has achieved Fair for Life certification as a brandholder, joining one of the world's most comprehensive and rigorous standards for social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and ethical trade. This milestone will be reflected in upcoming product launches, including Rosy Mood, Stress Ease Calm® debuting in September, and a reformulated Ginger Aid, each bearing third-party certifications that reflect the brand's deep commitment to regenerative harmony.
Understanding Fair for Life: Beyond Basic Fair Trade
Fair for Life represents one of the most comprehensive fair trade certifications available, examining every step of the supply chain from cultivation and wild collection to processing, manufacturing, and distribution, to ensure fair working conditions, just compensation, and environmental responsibility. Unlike certifications that focus on a single point in production, Fair for Life requires transparency and accountability across all supply chain actors, including farmers, harvesters, cooperatives, processors, packers, and brandholders. For consumers, this means confidence that every step of the tea-making journey, from wild collection to the box on shelf, is held to the highest standards of fairness and care.
"Fair for Life is more than a label, it's a commitment woven into every step of the journey," said Jamie Horst, Chief Purpose Officer at Traditional Medicinals. "From the farmers and wild collectors who harvest our herbs to the teams who carefully craft and package our teas, this certification helps ensure dignity, equity, and long-term support for communities and ecosystems. It's one more way we're turning our values into action, so every cup of tea does more good for people and the planet."
At its core, Fair for Life emphasizes mutual responsibility and long-term partnerships rather than transactional relationships. As part of the certification, companies pay a premium fee alongside herb purchases. The full amount supports community development projects chosen and led by the community itself, from clean water access to women's empowerment programs. For Traditional Medicinals, this means working hand in hand with wild collectors, smallholder farmers, and cooperatives, especially in remote or under-resourced regions, to ensure livelihood stability, biodiversity conservation, and community investment.
Triple Certification: A Model for Regenerative Harmony
Traditional Medicinals' approach centers on regenerative harmony, where Organic, FairWild, and Fair for Life certifications work in tandem to support:
Soil health and pollinator protection (Organic)
Wild plant ecosystems and traditional knowledge (FairWild)
Fair wages, community resilience, and shared decision-making (Fair for Life)
Together, these certifications create a traceable, verified system of care for people, plants, and the planet that goes beyond marketing claims. This comprehensive approach addresses the growing consumer demand for transparency, according to a survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Traditional Medicinals showing that 40% of Americans research food products more today than they did five years ago, specifically seeking items that are sustainable (45%), purpose-driven (40%), and ethical (38%). These findings show that certifications like Fair for Life not only meet consumer expectations, they help simplify complex purchasing decisions.
Building Consumer Awareness Through Collaboration
Traditional Medicinals recognizes the need for greater consumer education around comprehensive certifications. While the recent Talker survey found that 74% of consumers recognize organic certification and 53% are familiar with Fair Trade, only 37% are aware of Fair for Life certification. To address this awareness gap, Traditional Medicinals is partnering with Fair for Life certifier EcoCert to develop shared educational resources for consumers.
This collaborative initiative reflects a broader commitment to transparency and education in an industry where consumers increasingly seek products that align with their values. By working together to clarify what comprehensive certifications truly mean, these brands aim to transform how consumers make their purchasing decisions turning complex supply chain decisions into confident choices that support both personal wellness and global impact. To learn more, visit www.traditionalmedicinals.com/pages/certifications.
"Achieving Fair for Life certification represents decades of relationship-building coming full circle," said Horst. "We are profoundly grateful to the farmers, wild collectors, producers, production partners, and our own team who have walked this journey with us. For us, true sustainability has never been just about sourcing herbs, it's about people, and ensuring that everyone who touches our teas can thrive. This certification is both a celebration of the impact we've made together and a testament to the shared commitment that fills every cup with care and purpose."
About Traditional Medicinals
Traditional Medicinals is the leader in botanical wellness with a purpose to inspire active connection to plant wisdom in service of people and planet. Founded in 1974, Traditional Medicinals is rooted in herbal medicine that includes ethical sourcing and production, and rigorous attention to purity, quality, and sustainability standards. With more than sixty teas, lozenges and capsules specially formulated by herbalists, Traditional Medicinals has a deep commitment to both cutting-edge botany and traditional plant knowledge. Certified as Fair for Life, Organic, B Corporation, California Benefit Corporation, and California Green Business, Traditional Medicinals commits to elevating communities across the globe, helping ecosystems thrive, and fortifying cultural connections. Traditional Medicinals products are available online, and in most grocery and natural foods retailers. For additional information, visit www.traditionalmedicinals.com.
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SOURCE: Traditional Medicinals
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/industrial-and-manufacturing/traditional-medicinalsr-achieves-fair-for-life-certification-advancing-1068931
