CITES

Compliance with the Washington Convention (CITES)

 

All Albanu creations made of elephant hair are made by hand and in full compliance with the treaties protecting wildlife (CITES standardized by the Washington Convention).

Albanu is now the only company in Europe to have the CITES certification to market elephant hair jewellery. 

What is CITES? 
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or Washington Convention) is an international agreement between States, adopted on 3 March 1973 and entered into force in 1975. 
Its purpose is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species to which they belong. To do this, it uses a system of permits and certificates issued under certain conditions.
Today, more than 5,950 animal species including elephants and 32,800 plant species are protected by CITES from over-exploitation to fuel international trade. 

What criteria does Albanu meet to obtain CITES? 
Creations made from elephant hair created by Albanu meet the three criteria set out in the Annexes to the Convention which are: 

1. LEGALITY 
The hair is obtained in accordance with national laws and regulations governing the protection of fauna and flora. 
For each elephant hair braid, Albanu issues a legal acquisition notice to confirm its authorized character and certifies that the hair does not come from poaching.

2. SUSTAINABILITY 
Albanu issues a non-detriment finding for each elephant hair creation: evidence on a biological basis that confirms that the trade in elephant hair is sustainable and will not be detrimental to the survival of elephants and that it takes into account the role of elephants in the ecosystem. 

3. TRACEABILITY 
Albanu ensures that trade can be traceable through the issuance and control of adequate CITES permits and certificates. 

Elephant hair comes from 4 African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

Thus, a CITES accompanies each creation in elephant hair, this document guaranteeing the commitment of Albanu to respect the Washington Convention.
For more details on CITES-protected species visit https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php