The Red List Project's (TRLP) mission is to inspire plant conservation action and engagement on a global scale. TRLP is a nonprofit collective that raises impact philanthropic donations and helps generate conservation funding through collaborations with consumer products industry partners, grounded upon scientific consensus and global biodiversity conservation concepts.
The Red List Project's (TRLP) mission is to inspire plant conservation action and engagement on a global scale. TRLP is a nonprofit collective that raises impact philanthropic donations and helps generate conservation funding through collaborations with consumer products industry partners, grounded upon scientific consensus and global biodiversity conservation concepts.
Perfumer & Flavorist+ (P&F+) connects with TRLP's director of conservation science, Vanessa Handley, Ph.D., and Mane's category and sales director of the Specialty Business Unit, Fragrance Division, Sophia Gillio, to discuss opportunities and challenges for fragrance companies in the conservation realm, the pair's commercial fragrances collaboration and more.
P&F+: What was the driving force behind TRLP’s launch? How has it evolved since then?
Vanessa Handley [VH]: TRLP was launched in 2018 to address the global plant extinction crisis. By recent measures, roughly 40% of the world’s plant species are under threat, yet plant conservation remains drastically underfunded, receiving only a fraction of the philanthropy currently directed at animal conservation. Due to this, the mounting conservation needs of the world’s flora remain woefully unmet. This motivated Peggy Fiedler, Ph.D., (an internationally recognized plant scientist) and Brooke Carlson, Ph.D., (dean at Fashion Institute of Technology) to found TRLP as a platform for initiating and funding conservation action for the most critically endangered plants. Broadly speaking, the plant targets are those designated as imperiled by the IUCN Red List Unit, an international authority on the conservation status of plants and animals.
Peggy then assembled a dedicated team of specialists (at this stage, I was honored to come on board) with the collective mission of inspiring plant conservation action and engagement on a global scale. To this end, we partner with conservation and consumer products entities (primarily in the fragrance industry), to initiate projects that not only enhance awareness of threats to botanical diversity but also generate funds for conservation action. We continue to concentrate our efforts on threatened plants and habitats but increasingly place emphasis on community-based conservation. Through these diverse conservation activities, we provide a platform for committed businesses, impact investors and consumers to join local communities in stewardship of our planet’s irreplaceable botanical heritage.
For the full article, please check out the Perfumer & Flavorist+ September 2022 issue.
