PLT Health says it’s offering the first CITES-compliant Rhodiola rosea in North America

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PLT Health Solutions (Morristown, NJ) is emphasizing that its Rhodiola rosea ingredients are fully compliant with recent regulatory changes effected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES is an international agreement between governments to ensure that international trade involving wild animals and plants is conducted in a way that does not threaten the survival of animal and plant species.

Last November, CITES approved a proposal to add additional botanical species, including Rhodiola rosea, to its CITES Appendix II list. More than 40,900 species of animals and plants are listed in CITES Appendices. Countries participating in CITES agree to control the trade of species listed in the CITES Appendices, including adhering to a licensing system that involves obtaining permits for imports and exports. “CITES is a voluntary organization, but its decisions are considered binding for the 184 countries that are members,” PLT points out in a press release.

The company says it worked with its partner Nektium (Las Palmas, Spain) and with multiple government agencies on three continents to ensure compliance with CITES for its branded Rhodiolife Rhodiola rosea ingredient in North America.

Devin Stagg, PLT Health Solutions’ chief operating officer, added, “The CITES program is unique in our industry in that it requires certification and permits related to sustainability for every shipment at every stop along an ingredient’s supply chain. There are no CITES-certified brands or companies, unlike what occurs with organizations like the Non-GMO Verified Project, Kosher, Halal, or USDA Organic. CITES is a government-to-government program, which means we work with multiple agencies, each having their own region- or country-specific requirements to become CITES compliant.”

With influences like CITES factoring into sourcing decisions, Stagg said that “sustainability is now a ‘cost of entry’ for the Rhodiola rosea business.” He added: “With a CITES listing, consumer products companies are going to shy away from non-sustainable Rhodiola.”