doTERRA has an unwavering commitment to maintaining high ethical standards, including adherence to our comprehensive Code of Conduct. We strive to work with ethical vendors to create transparency in our networks, supplying more jobs and reinvesting into our harvesting communities. We also prioritize partners who compensate harvesters and sorters at or above market rates, including paying premium prices to further uplift those within our sourcing communities.   

Upon learning of troubling allegations against our supplier in Somaliland we enlisted the services of Sidley Austin, a highly respected law firm, to conduct a full and complete investigation into the resin supplier’s working conditions. We also engaged a renowned training agency, which supports local NGO’s and UN bodies, to conduct educational focus groups on proper workplace conditions. In addition, we established a hotline for workers to receive support, leave feedback, and express concerns or complaints.  

The investigation revealed that the supplier did not meet the high standards we expected of them, and we subsequently terminated our relationship with the supplier. Reactively, the supplier forced employees and patients to vacate doTERRA’s Sanaag Specialty Hospital, a highly specialized medical facility within the frankincense community. As a result, we immediately arranged the safe transfer of patients to other care facilities in the area. 

doTERRA is proactively working to secure a legacy transfer of the Sanaag Specialty Hospital to the Ministry of Health Development (MOHD) for the benefit of the people of Somaliland. As part of this process, the MOHD is currently pursuing a legal case through the Erigavo Regional Court to assume full ownership and control of the hospital, and doTERRA is fully supporting these efforts. 

With the help of generous donors, doTERRA opened the Sanaag Specialty Hospital in 2021, treating over 20,000 patients, performing more than 350 surgeries and safely delivering nearly 450 babies. This legacy transfer of the hospital will continue to support thousands of individuals and families through its state-of-the-art medical equipment housed within this specialized care facility located near frankincense communities. 

Despite the challenges of operating in Somaliland, our motivation is to source from locations where we can have the most positive impact on the lives of those within our sourcing communities. At present, we are collaborating with local NGOs in the frankincense community to provide continuous healthcare and education for women and girls. 

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