Why Ingredient Sourcing Teams Must Rethink Risk in the Era of Climate Disruption and Trade Volatility
By the Regenerative Farms Team | September 2025
As the world heats up, so does the pressure on botanical ingredient supply chains. From essential oils to herbal actives, the natural product categories that underpin everything from clean beauty to functional foods are now under dual threat: climate change and global trade volatility.
This year, the escalation of import tariffs on botanical ingredients from key regions—particularly China—has sent sourcing teams scrambling to identify alternative suppliers. Yet what’s becoming increasingly clear is this: replacing one vulnerable supplier with another from the same climate-exposed region isn’t a long-term solution.
At Regenerative Farms, we work with companies to dig deeper, map climate vulnerabilities, and build sourcing strategies that are both resilient and regenerative. Here’s what we’ve learned—and why sourcing teams need to act now.
The Era of Ingredient Disruption Is Here
From tea seed oil to turmeric, rosewood to moringa, thousands of natural ingredients are being impacted by a warming planet. What does that look like?
- Flooded fields and ruined harvests in Vietnam and Taiwan.
- Typhoon-damaged Camellia groves in Japan and the Philippines.
- Heat-stressed tree crops in the Andes, Sahel, and Southeast Asia.
- Disrupted flowering times that reduce pollination and lower oil yields.
- Landslides and erosion in high-altitude zones where premium oils are produced.
For companies depending on these ingredients, it means shrinking harvest windows, declining quality, rising prices, and delivery uncertainty. If your ingredient source is dependent on a single geography, or lacks local resilience infrastructure, your products are increasingly at risk.
A New Sourcing Mandate: From Traceable to Climate-Adapted
Many teams have made great strides in traceability and certifications (organic, fair trade, COSMOS, etc.)—but climate resilience is the new frontier. Traceable is no longer enough if your supplier can’t survive a season of floods or drought.
What’s needed now is climate-adapted sourcing:
- Choosing ingredients from agroecosystems with diversified income streams and natural buffers against heat and storms.
- Partnering with producers using soil regeneration, rainwater harvesting, and integrated pest management to stabilize yields.
- Supporting indigenous and women-led cooperatives whose ecological knowledge helps them adapt to shifts in weather patterns faster than industrial plantations can.
- Investing in alternate supply basins that are already transitioning to sustainable practices and are export-ready.
What We Offer: Climate Risk Scanning + Resilient Sourcing Support
At Regenerative Farms, we’ve developed a suite of services to help companies future-proof their botanical supply chains:
✅ Ingredient Climate Risk Mapping
We combine satellite-based climate models, localized scenario planning (+3°C warming), and sourcing-specific thresholds (e.g. for heat, rainfall, elevation, pollinator loss) to map where your ingredients are most at risk.
✅ Sourcing Alternative Assessments
We identify alternative suppliers in more resilient agroecological zones—prioritizing women-led cooperatives, regenerative growers, and traceable producers who meet your volume, certification, and shipping needs.
✅ Supplier Capacity Building
We help your suppliers become more climate-adapted by offering support in:
- Soil & water management
- Pollinator habitat restoration
- Transitioning to organic or regenerative certification
- Export readiness & compliance (especially important under new tariff regimes)
✅ Storytelling & Impact Reporting
We help you communicate this sourcing evolution to your customers, investors, and auditors—framing it as an investment in resilience, equity, and regeneration.
Why This Matters Now: Tariffs, Transparency & Transformation
The recent wave of tariffs and trade restrictions has made it painfully clear: global sourcing models must evolve. Brands that previously depended on large-scale Chinese commodity ingredients are now facing sudden spikes in cost and risk.
But with disruption comes opportunity.
Brands that act now to invest in climate-resilient sourcing, regenerative agriculture, and equitable trade relationships will gain a competitive edge—and earn consumer trust in a time of uncertainty.
Let us Help You Future-Proof Your Ingredients
Whether you’re a product developer seeking consistent, high-quality inputs or a sustainability lead tasked with decarbonizing your supply chain, we’re here to help.
🔍 Want to scan your ingredient list for climate risk?
🌍 Need to find alternative suppliers outside China?
🤝 Ready to co-invest in women-led regenerative sourcing?
Let’s talk. Contact us at info@regenerativefarms.org
Or visit www.regenerativefarms.org to learn more.
Regenerative Farms is a global nonprofit and consulting network supporting the growth of climate-resilient regenerative supply chains. We work across 12+ countries to empower women farmers, restore degraded landscapes, and partner with mission-aligned brands building the future of sustainable sourcing.
Post a comment