Botanee Group, a Chinese cosmetics enterprise, shared its sustainable development model of "research-conservation-industrialization" originating from Yunnan, China, on October 26 in Yerevan, Armenia where the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17) takes place.
Botanee, as a co-organiser of the mountain bioeconomy-themed side event of the COP17, also launched the Yerevan Declaration on Inclusive Mountain Bioeconomy with other partners.
Centred on "conserving biodiversity, supporting sustainable community development, ensuring fair and equitable benefit-sharing, and creating opportunities for future generations," the declaration emphasizes the integration of traditional knowledge, scientific research and responsible innovation, and advocates advancing ecological conservation and livelihood improvement while respecting the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
In her keynote address, Zhong Wei, director of public communications at Botanee Group, systematically outlined the underlying logic of the enterprise's sustainability approach.
She said that as an enterprise rooted in biodiversity, Botanee recognizes that safeguarding nature means protecting the foundation of its business. To this end, Botanee has built a three-in-one sustainable beauty ecosystem centred on "research-conservation-industrialization."
On the research front, Botanee has carried out 12 years of joint industry-university-research collaboration. It has screened more than 2,000 plant resources and identified 266 skincare-active species, translating the traditional uses of native Yunnan plants into standardized, traceable industrial strengths.
On the conservation front, it has established a research and cultivation base at Haba Snow Mountain in Shangri-La, and carried out artificial propagation and wild reintroduction for over 20 rare plateau species, to support biodiversity.
In terms of the industrialization, Botanee adopts an "enterprise + base + farming household" model, enabling farmers and herders in northwest Yunnan to earn stable incomes locally. In 2024, the characteristic plant industrial chain generated over 10 billion yuan in additional output value, with local suppliers accounting for 53.8 percent of raw material sources. This model has been included as a case in the Global Mountain Bioeconomy Framework, an action guide for global sustainable mountain development.
It will continue to advance the implementation of the mountain bioeconomy declaration across global mountain regions, refine its "research-conservation-industrialization" model, and contribute to global biodiversity governance, according to Botanee. (Edited by Hu Pingchao with Xinhua Silk Road, hupingchao@xinhua.org)
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