Believing that a beauty brand must do everything possible to make the world more beautiful and that it can make a forest bigger rather than smaller, since 2000 we have committed to developing sustainable and inclusive economic alternatives for the Amazon region. In 2011, all our initiatives to transform socioenvironmental challenges into business opportunities were combined in the Natura Amazonia Programme.  

Since then, our efforts have resulted in contributions towards conserving 1.8 million hectares of forest – the equivalent of 12 times the size of the city of São Paulo, 14 times the size of Rio de Janeiro and almost 26 times the size of Salvador – and supporting 4,636 families in the Pan-Amazon region (a territory that includes Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, the Guyanas and Surinam). 

Amazonia Programme Targets 

By 2020, we intend to reach the mark of 10,000 families benefiting from the Amazonia Programme. This number is one of the priorities Natura established in its 2050 Sustainability Vision, the document that sets forth the company’s commitments to drive sustainable development. 

The target of generating R$ 1 billion in business volume in the Pan-Amazon region – also established for 2020 – had already been exceeded in 2018, when the cumulative volume stood at more than R$ 1.5 billion. 

Another goal for 2020 is to have 30% of the total inputs consumed by Natura come from the Pan-Amazon region. In 2018, the indicator stood at 17.8%. 
 
The Amazonia Programme is based on three pillars. These are described ahead. 

1. Science, technology, and innovation 

The program activates and coordinates local, national and international research and knowledge networks, focused on biodiversity, sustainable stewardship, agriculture, and eco-design. 

As part of this pillar, in 2012 we inaugurated the Natura Innovation Nucleus in the Amazon (Nina), currently located in the city of Benevides, in the brazilian state of Pará. 

By means of partnerships, Nina prioritises the development of technologies and innovations that may be applied in the social biodiversity production chains and in the company. Its partners in this endeavour include the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam), the National Institute of Amazon Surveys (Inpa) and the Amazon State Research Foundation (Fapeam), in addition to Embrapa.  

2. Social biodiversity production chains 

The Amazonia Programme builds, enhances and expands sustainable production chains in the Amazon, with investments in training, production efficiency and the introduction of new technologies. The goal is to help the cooperatives to prosper and generate local wealth and social development. 

With this pillar in view, we inaugurated the Ecoparque in the city of Benevides in 2014. With this industrial park, we are able to attract diverse partners that help us generate sustainable businesses in the Amazon.  

3. Institutional reinforcement 

The programme empowers local institutions and establishes partnerships that generate benefits for all involved; it is essential for developing the basis for a standing forest economy.  

With the local stakeholder groups, we define questions that are relevant for the transformation of the reality in the Amazon, such as education for the forest, fostering entrepreneurship, digital inclusion, among others. 

The Amazonia Programme in numbers 

According to the United Nations Organisation (UNO), one of the core elements for the sustainable development of the planet is economic growth. Because of this, our commitment to supporting the development of the Pan Amazon region by means of the Amazônia Programme drives integrated impacts in the economic, social and environmental dimensions. See the following numbers: 

• 1.5 billion reais in business volume in the region between 2012 and 2018. 

• 4,636 families in supplier communities benefited in 2018. 

• 17.8% of all the raw material used by the company acquired from the Pan Amazon region. 

A purpose-driven brand  

Ekos is the Natura brand that best materializes the purpose of promoting a living forest economy. Since it was launched in 2000, this product line has researched the benefits generated by Brazilian biodiversity and presented the function of each bioactive ingredient, promoting a real connection between users and nature.