Environment
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Many incense product come from abroad.
Especially Asia is an important supplier. Some examples:
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From this it is clear that we have to do with
the whole of Asia, including the Middle-East. It is a treasure room of all
kinds of natural products, the
product from the table form a quite random pick. The products from the table
can be divided into three groups: Products from agriculture: Bamboo, Champaca flowers come from
plantations and farms. All kinds of flowers and plants are being harvested to
make oil out of it. This is an important source for employment since the
mechanisation of agriculture is still not very high. The use of pesticides is
quite high, so that environmental pollution and the health of employees and
consumers is being endangered. However, a beginning of biological agriculture
can be noticed in India, and for example oils from biological crops can be
obtained. Products from industry and crafts: Incenses, oils and perfumes are most of the
time made in relative small workshops, or in local communities, but also in
laboratories and factories. Industry gives us little insight in the way in
which is produced. Especially among the perfumed products we have to be
careful for chemicals that can be harmful for health. However, there is a
positive side to the chemical industry: For example, in past days Musk used
to be a very wanted product, the wallpapers of the former French princess
Marie-Antoinette still seem to smell of it after 200 years, but the oil was
basically liquid from a gland of the Musk deer. So this animal was much
hunted, until it reached the point of extinction in the past century.
Fortunately the chemical industry came up with an alternative that was quite
the same, saving the Musk deer from doom. Similar stories can be told of
Civet, Ambergris, and Castoreum. Another trend is coloured incense: , purple,
blue, orange, you can get it in all colours, and for absolute minimum prices.
I certainly wouldn't recommend such incense cause everybody always tells me
not to burn paint. And in such a case I think it is fair that the
manufacturer proves that painted incense is harmless. |
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Child labour is another grief that occurs a
lot in this sector, especially in big cities, and it happens more often then
we realise. The stories of Nike shoes and Adidas soccer balls made by
children in Bangla Desh are just the tip of the iceberg. Many product we buy
are extremely cheap because of the fact they are made with extremely cheap
labour. Some people see buying these products as a kind of developmental
support, but in fact they are preserving a system where people become the
victims of economical blackmail. In such a case we can better buy products
that are a little more expensive, but of which we know for certain that they
have produced with respect for people. |
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Products from the rainforest : Sandelwood comes from the rainforest, it takes 80 years for a
Sandalwood tree to reach its full size, and can become hundreds of years of
age. The tree is under severe attack, the trees being chopped down to powder
to make oil from it, 80% of it going to the cosmetic industry, the rest to
incense industry. In India Sandalwood is a protected tree at the moment but
illegal woodchop is a common practice. Another example of rainforest threat
is Jigat (Machilas Macrantha), a tree of which the root is pulverized to make
the glue for a traditional 'agarbathi' incense stick. And it is the increase
of scale that has led to such dangers, there is a market of 6 billion people
and that is more then the rainforest can handle. In the case of pine trees
there are trade marks that guarantee a replant of trees (FSC for example),
here it would be a good possibility. |
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Biological Incense So now and then you encounter this term, but
never you see an accurate explanation. I'll make an attempt, also in the hope
to start a discussion about this subject: |
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Biological incense is incense that is made with respect for man and
nature. |
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This would mean: l
No attack on the rainforest or other natural
treasures of the earth. l
Minimal intervention of the chemical
industry, natural ingredients as much as possible. l
No childrens or slave labour. The incenses I offer on this site conform to
this idea of biological, but however, for reasons of honesty I must say that
this is still an attempt. Travels to the Orient in order to verify the
origins of products are high on the agenda (sponsors needed!). The key issue
is namely control: how can you keep track of how a production chain follows
the rules? You will have to go there and see it with your own eyes. But it is
very well possible. Look for example at chocolate. Chocolate is so cheap
because it is made with the help of (denied) slave labour, mainly in Ivory
Coast, but now we can buy chocolate (Tony Chocolonely) that is 'on the road
to slave-free', and that has a lot to do with consumers who have the serious
intention to buy honest products. |
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