Author: Gero Leson

Gero Leson is Vice President of Special Operations at Dr. Bronner’s. Since 2005, he has been responsible for Dr. Bronner’s sourcing of major ingredients from certified fair trade and organic projects.

USAID at a Crossroads: Dr. Bronner’s Experience with the US Agency for International Development

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What government-sponsored development aid supports, and what’s at stake with recent cuts One of President Trump’s first executive orders in January 2025 was to dramatically cut funding and staffing of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). This provoked a debate about the benefits vs. cost of the U.S. government spending taxpayers’ money on helping less economically developed countries to strengthen democracy and grow their economies,

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Global Deforestation: How Do We Contribute? How Can We Push Back? A Call to Action for Earth Day

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Continued rapid deforestation is one of our planet’s most concerning environmental and social problems. It is closely related to all other such challenges: global climate change, loss of habitat and species, destruction of soil, and economic and social uprooting of human communities. Table of Contents What Is Deforestation? What’s Driving It? What Attempts Have Been Made to Stop Global Deforestation?

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Our Journey to Dynamic Agroforestry—A Concept with a Future

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The following post is an abridged excerpt from my book Honor Thy Label: Dr. Bronner’s Unconventional Journey to a Clean, Green, and Ethical Supply Chain.  In October 2016, Joachim Milz came through Asuom, where our Ghanaian sister company Serendipalm that supplies us with sustainable palm oil is based. It was, as usual, a warm and humid night,

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From Root to Fruit: Using the Whole Coconut

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This excerpt from my book, Honor Thy Label, describes how Serendipol, Dr. Bronner’s Sri Lankan supplier of coconut oil, uses every part of the coconut to create a highly ecological operation. A Perfectly Ecological Production After operating Serendipol for some five years and improving trees, soil, and processing, I increasingly marveled at the “inherent sustainability” of the project.

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The Dr. Bronner’s Way: Transforming Tragedy and Trauma

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Soon after I first crossed paths with Dr. Bronner’s, when I began the work of transitioning its supply chains to be organic and fair trade, I learned about founder Emanuel Bronner’s determination to use his soap brand to unite and bring peace to the world. A lofty goal, for sure, and one that some companies might have considered a hopeful founder’s story,

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Growth and Diversification at Pavitramenthe

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How do the leaders of our fair trade projects and partnerships approach growth and diversification? This excerpt from my book, Honor Thy Label, describes how our Indian supplier of mint oils, Pavitramenthe, has begun to diversify their offerings and customer base. Honor Thy Label is available for order today! EXCERPT: GROWTH AND DIVERSIFICATION AT PAVITRAMENTHE Just like Dr.

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Resilience and Regeneration in Sri Lanka’s Serendipol

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Beyond Organic, Beyond Fair Trade Dr. Bronner’s helped set up its sister company Serendipol in Sri Lanka in 2007—and it has since become the world’s foremost supplier of fair trade and organic coconut oil. Serendipol works with more than 1,200 farmers farming 21,000 acres, employs over 250 workers and professional staff at its factory in Kuliyapitiya,

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Plant a seed, grow an island

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The story of Serendicoco Samoa, and an island’s reach for agricultural, economic, and cultural abundance This article appears in our 2018 All-One! Report, read the full report here. I grew up in Cologne, Germany, part of the post-war generation.  We didn’t have much, but we did have books. When I was just 11 or 12, my dad let me read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich,” a frightening account of the Nazi regime.

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In all we do, let us be generous, fair & loving to Spaceship Earth and all its inhabitants. For we’re All-One or None! ALL-ONE!