In what they have dubbed the “rooibos robbery,” the Berne Declaration, a Swiss advocacy organisation, and Natural Justice, a South African environmental group, are accusing Nestlé of having violated South African law and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
At issue are two plants found in South Africa, rooibos and honeybush, both of which are commonly used to make herbal teas. Nestec, a Nestlé subsidiary, filed four international patent applications for using the plants or their extracts to treat hair and skin conditions such as acne, wrinkles, and hair loss. A fifth application sought patent protection for using rooibos as an anti-inflammatory. It is seeking patent protection in a large number of countries around the world, including South Africa.
ICTSD (International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development) has the rest of the story.