Our Commitment to Sustainability

At OUDMA, we believe that the Arabian tradition of bakhoor should be carried forward in a way that protects both the people and the planet that sustain it.

🌳 Responsible Oud Sourcing

Oud (Aquilaria wood) is one of the world's most valuable natural materials — and one of the most endangered. Wild Aquilaria trees, which produce natural oud resin, are listed on CITES Appendix II due to decades of unsustainable harvesting. OUDMA is committed to sourcing exclusively from plantation-grown and certified sustainable oud suppliers, never from wild-harvested or illegally sourced stock.

We verify supplier credentials and prioritise partners who hold Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certification or equivalent regional certification for their Aquilaria plantations.

🏭 Ethical Manufacturing

Our incense burners are produced by skilled craftsmen in facilities we have vetted for fair wage practices, safe working conditions, and reasonable working hours. We will not work with manufacturers who use child labour or operate below regional safety standards. When we visit supplier facilities, we look not just at product quality but at the conditions of the people making them.

📦 Packaging

We are actively working to reduce packaging waste across our product range:

• All outer packaging uses recycled cardboard wherever product protection allows.
• We are eliminating single-use plastic inserts from our packaging by the end of 2026, replacing them with moulded paper pulp protection.
• Gift box packaging for our Eid gift sets uses soy-based inks on FSC-certified card.

🚚 Carbon-Conscious Shipping

International shipping has a carbon footprint — we don't pretend otherwise. We offset shipping emissions by contributing to verified reforestation projects in Southeast Asia, the origin region of most Aquilaria wood. We are also exploring last-mile delivery partnerships within the UAE that use electric vehicles for local fulfilment.

🌍 Our Long-Term Goals

• 2026: 100% recycled outer packaging across all products
• 2026: Zero plastic inserts in standard packaging
• 2027: Carbon-neutral shipping for all UAE orders
• 2027: Full supply chain transparency report published annually
• 2028: UAE warehousing to eliminate international air freight for core products

🤝 Our Standard

We are a small business. We won't claim perfection. But we believe that every business, at every scale, has a responsibility to make choices that take the long view — on the environment, on the people in our supply chain, and on the communities we serve.

If you have questions about our sourcing or practices, we welcome the conversation: service@oudma.com