About WildCheck
WildCheck will help open the cupboard door on hidden ingredients, illuminate risks and opportunities, and create a recipe for sustainability action.
WildCheck is an online knowledge and collaboration platform that offers objective insights and advice on sourcing of wild ingredients to support business, investment, and policy scoping, as well as consumer education. WildCheck connects a broad set of partners in their commitment to responsibly-sourced wild ingredients through the We Use Wild Pledge.
By offering accessible and easily understandable information on a selection of flagship ingredients, organisations can access the WildCheck platform as a critical first step in the planning and implementation of responsible sourcing action.
This platform is linked to, and should be viewed alongside, the WildCheck Report.
How to use the platform
The platform contains a series of plant profiles, which provide an overview of the risks and responsible sourcing opportunities associated with twelve ‘flagship’ wild plant ingredients.
While the information provided is not intended to be exhaustive and does not replace on-the-ground fact-checking, it is hoped that making this information available in a simple, accessible manner will help users to begin navigating what are typically long and complex value chains.
Alongside the risks and opportunities specific to each ingredient, the Resources section captures opportunities common to all wild plant ingredients.
Once users understand the risks and opportunities associated with wild plant ingredients, the We Use Wild Pledge provides a pathway to move towards addressing the risks and seizing the opportunities available. The Pledge is a voluntary, self-led initiative.
Selection of wild plant flagship ingredients
The ingredients profiled on WildCheck have representative attributes across a few spectrums, including:
Those that are already subject to careful management to avoid over-harvesting and ensure equitable trade
Those that are in need of more attention now due to their susceptibility to harvesting pressure (e.g. over-collected or at risk of unsustainable trade)
Those that are in problematic supply chains due to social inequality of trading practices
Those that may require more attention in the future as markets for them grow
The selected ingredients are important species in trade that are mostly wild-harvested and, in totality, provide a representation of trade in wild plant ingredients. The intention, as with other ‘flagships’ in conservation, is to use these species as illustrative examples and to drive forward positive actions for conservation and livelihoods beyond the twelve.
Risk assessment methods
Biological and social risk assessments presented within the ingredient profiles have been classified on a High/Medium/Low (Red/Amber/Green) scale, based on the severity and likelihood of risks being present that are relevant to the sustainability or ethical sourcing of an ingredient. The types of risks deemed to be present are described alongside the rating.
Information was collected from a range of sources to determine ratings, such as peer-reviewed academic articles, market & price reports, news articles, and expert inputs.
Biological risk assessments were conducted by the IUCN-SSC Medicinal Plant Specialist Group, which developed the methodology in consultation with the Technical Committee of the FairWild Foundation.
Social risk assessments were conducted by TRAFFIC, who developed the methodology for the WildCheck report in consultation with a range of non-governmental and inter-governmental organisations specialising in ethical trade, industry colleagues, and TRAFFIC and FairWild Foundation staff.
For more information on methodology and a full reference list for each risk rating, see the WildCheck report.