Emerge Amazônia aims to explore the technological potential in Brazilian research groups and startups to develop businesses capable of transforming the reality of the Amazon and generating results for various industrial segments.
Natura is one of the participating companies in Emerge Amazônia, an open innovation initiative that will identify the most disruptive Brazilian technologies capable of generating sustainable socioeconomic results from Amazonian biodiversity. The project will leverage scientifically-based solutions selected from universities, research institutes, and startups focusing on forest inputs that can be applied to different sectors of the industry.
Lasting 42 weeks, Emerge Amazônia is led by the innovation consultancy Emerge and will consist of four stages: defining challenges, mapping technologies, structuring the business cases, and developing the technology and business. From the mapping, the forecast is to develop the business case for up to nine technologies, and then invest in and structure up to three startups, preparing them for a new round of investment raising or selling the innovation to the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors. Proposals can be submitted on the Emerge platform starting May 31. The project was presented during an event on June 23, in a panel about Amazonian biodiversity and the value of technology to promote forest conservation.
According to Roseli Mello, global R&D leader at Natura, initiatives with the potential to promote the standing forest economy are a priority for the company, which will participate in the project through the Natura Campus Program, which has maintained relationships with the academic community for scientific and technological development since 2006. Currently, 16.5% of the inputs for the brand's products come from the region through a socially and environmentally fair, regenerative, and economically viable business model.
“We have been working for over 20 years with the open innovation model in search of disruptive solutions that contribute to supporting a new local economy that increases Brazil's competitiveness abroad, in addition to promoting the conservation of the Amazon and well-being for people through income, education, and inclusion,” says Roseli. “We hope that the technologies found in the program can culminate in bioingredients and solutions that will eventually integrate into our portfolio of products and services, but above all, have the potential to develop the entire value chain, generating a positive impact for all stakeholders involved,” she adds. So far, Natura has developed 39 Amazonian bioingredients, sourced from about 85 supply chains, and maintains relationships with 34 agro-extractive communities in the Amazon, covering 7,039 families.
The executive recalls that Natura has a historical commitment to sustainability. With the launch of the Natura Ekos personal care line in 2000, the brand began incorporating assets from Brazilian biodiversity into its production chain. In 2019, it launched a public cause called Amazônia Viva, aimed at promoting the standing forest economy as a vector for development in the Amazon and, from that, combating deforestation in the region. To date, Natura has contributed to conserving 2 million hectares of forest.
In 2020, the cause of Amazon conservation also became part of the goals of the Natura &Co group, which includes Natura, Avon, The Body Shop, and Aesop. In the document Vision 2030: Commitment to Life, released by the group last year, various conservation objectives were outlined, including combating climate change and protecting the forest. One of the goals is to gather collective efforts to ensure zero deforestation in the Amazon by 2025. To achieve this public commitment, Natura relies on collaboration with other companies and partner organizations.
Want to know more and submit your technology?
Visit: Emerge Amazônia - Technologies that utilize Amazonian inputs (emergebrasil.in).
