the best for you.
the best for our planet.
Our Cradle-to-Grave analysis is done by the Miombo Conservation Network. The Schwarz Matrix is used to analyze the environmental impact of our products, production processes and community initiatives. A complete report will be availabe online soon. Here is a summary of the analysis.
bio-diversity
- Establishment of community nursuries incentivizes the conservation of the forest as a resource base and is proactive in replanting of all plants, especially indigenous trees, whether they are economically viable or not.
- As the production of lipids uses the live genetic material of trees, special care is taken in the creation of nurseries to replace the natural regenerative systems of the woodland and to manage appropriate proportions of the original tree species.
- Through the planting of key speicies, interdependent relationships between birds and small animals and vegetation are recreated in areas where these have been lost.
- Agroforestry will gradually replace slash-and-burn agricultural practices. Agroforestry programs produce legumes and vegetables in rotating alley-crop settings restore biomass and soil fertility, providing high quality nutrition. Indigenous trees are researched and selected for soil conditioning and other productive qualities.
biomass
- Healthy Miombo woodland varies between 90 and 300 tons of woody biomass per hectare, with approximately 200 key tree species. Twelve years of replanting at the Mezimbite Forest Center have demonstrated a gain from depleted, abandoned family farm plots to approximately 180 tons of woody biomass with 20 tree species, maintaining a production of approximately 800 kg per season of beans and similar volumes of staples and vegetables in rotation in that same season. Proven regenerative systems from Mezimbite Forest Center will be adapted to the BOM partner communities to ensure no further loss of biodiversity, as well as the reinstatement of historically lost diversity in parallel with sustainable food production.
air
- BOM is carbon positive through reforestation activities.
- Our carbon footprint is dramatically produced by doing production on site, minimizing transport of raw materials and eliminating transport of potential waste.
- Manufacturing facilities are non-emissive.
water
- Rain water harvesting infrastructure is under construction. All water used in BOM production will be from rain water harvesting and will be filtered.
- No water-borne waste.
soil
- BOM and all its stakeholders are committed to organic and natural systems to improving soil fertility and preventing erosion, and training and achieving soil husbandry as a component of our community permaculture programs.
energy
- BOM is committed to using human-driven oil presses, as well as clean sources of energy for most of its activities. Where high levels of power are required, power is supplied by generators run on biodiesel processed from reject oils.
- Buildings (under construction) will use biomass pressure differential and evaporative thermal controls.
waste
- Oil production generates large volumes of seedcake, which are processed into foods and animal rations. Mildly toxic seedcake is combined with wood waste from packaging manufacture and processed into fertilizers.
- All human waste is composted and these models are demonstrated to the local community.
- High-cellulose waste is pulped and handmade into paper for printing and packaging.