Sustainable cosmetics from the Amazon
Project description
Title: Sustainable use and environmental regulation compliance in three regions in the Amazon
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Countries: Brazil
Partners: Natura, Symrise
Overall term: 2017 to 2021
Context
The Amazon region covers over half of Brazil’s surface area and is known for its great biodiversity. Economic incentives for environmentally sound land usage are not yet in place, however, leading to the clearance of vast areas of forest. To reduce this deforestation, the production of environmentally friendly goods needs to become competitive.
Many cooperatives are already producing sustainable products, but often without working in an economically viable way. They focus on individual product lines and most of the work is done manually. In addition, they lack the knowledge needed to meet corporate quality standards and the strict requirements of environmental legislation.
Objective
Smallholders and traditional communities in the Amazon preserve the rainforests and supply renewable raw materials to industry.
Approach
The project is working with the Brazilian cosmetics manufacturer Natura and the German producer Symrise to make cultivation and production in the Amazon region more sustainable and economically viable.
The partners are supporting cooperatives in diversifying their production and increasing their profitability. The project therefore promotes technological innovations to improve the quality of products.
Cooperatives are receiving training in how to meet environmental requirements and register their land in the environmental register. The advisory team is helping farmers to improve processes and ensuring close cooperation between the institutions involved.
Natura is introducing quality standards for products, promoting better cultivation, harvesting and production methods, and providing advice on making use of new plant species. Symrise supports new methods and technologies. For example, production waste is being examined to determine whether it is suitable for creating by-products and establishing new value chains.
The project is being financed as part of the develoPPP programme launched by the German Federal Ministry for International Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Last update: December 2021
