Lush has revealed that through its Sustainable Lush Fund (SLush Fund), it has, in just five years, been able to take fair trade to another level, establishing supportive partnerships with communities to source truly sustainable ingredients.

The ethical cosmetics firm donates 2 percent of the amount it spends on packaging and raw materials to the SLush Fund. The money is then spent to kick start community projects and sustainable farming.

To date, the company has spent millions of dollars developing more than 44 projects in 21 different countries. The ingredients produced through these projects include ylang-ylang oil, moringa oil, geranium oil, fresh aloe, shea butter and fair trade organic cocoa butter.

“Could we move beyond simply buying fairly traded ingredients and, instead, develop supportive partnerships with the communities that produce them? More than five years on, the answer is a resounding yes,” says the company in a statement on its website.