Sustainable Herbs Initiative ToolKit
SHP Toolkit 2.0
The SHP Toolkit 2.0 (produced when SHI was called Sustainable Herbs Program and based at the American Botanical Council) is a collection of tools and resources based on best practices in the natural products industry to generate awareness and engage industry leaders in implementing ecologically and socially responsible practices in the botanical industry.
In 2026 we created an updated Toolkit 3.0 based on the concrete practices of SHI members. We are leaving the 2.0 Toolkit here as a resource for more foundational learning. The PDFs have not been updated and links may be broken.
This Toolkit Includes
The updated SHP Toolkit Collection includes the following:
- Videos highlighting stories from the field and/or case studies to learn about each topic in the SHP Toolkit through meaningful examples of best practices.
- Discussion questions to reflect on those examples and how they apply to the unique challenges of each company.
- Action steps in each of the 10 sections to deepen the learning experience.
- Curated resources from different sectors organized around topics that are particularly relevant to sourcing medicinal plants.
- A short self-assessment to gauge where a company stands in its sustainability journey. This assessment can also be used as the basis for annual sustainability reporting and for certification audits.
Toolkit Sections
What Others are Saying
“The botanical industry is uniquely suited to lead the way in doing business that serves health and wellness for all—for people, plants, and planet, not just finished product consumers,” said Ann Armbrecht, PhD, SHI director. “The challenges threatening the long-term supply of medicinal plants — the climate crisis, the precipitous loss of biodiversity, social and economic inequity, and ongoing supply disruptions from the pandemic are too big for any company to tackle on its own. SHI helps you meet these challenges by providing tools, resources, and pre-competitive collaborative opportunities to take action in a meaningful and constructive way.”
“Congratulations to Sustainable Herbs Program director Ann Armbrecht on the launch of a beautifully revised and expanded version 2.0 of the SHP Toolkit,” said noted medicinal plant sourcing expert Josef Brinckmann, Research Fellow for Medicinal Plants and Botanical Supply Chain at Traditional Medicinals and president of the ABC Board of Trustees. “C-level executives may consider the SHP Toolkit 2.0 a required course for employees responsible for botanical supply chain quality, sustainability, visibility, and assessments of corporate social responsibility in supply chains. Even those with experience in voluntary sustainability standards and responsible supply chains will find fresh ideas and shortcuts to essential information in Version 2.0.”
These materials are provided for free through the generous support of our SHP inaugural underwriters and donors.