Natura, the first commercial collaborator to join the project, will support the development of the local cooperative. It will also contribute its expertise in the technical evaluation of bioactives, which will be identified through the mapping of local biodiversity in Dow’s preserved native Amazon forests. Andiroba and Ucuuba seeds, for example, are among the bioactives already identified of interest to Natura.
After evaluation and technical approval, the local cooperative will negotiate and sell the seeds directly to Natura, generating income for local residents and contributing to the social and economic development of the Breu Branco community.
Project Ybá was launched in May in collaboration with the Peabiru Institute and The Nature Conservancy. Natura is part of Natura & Co group, the fourth largest personal care company in the world.