On April 12, 13 and 14, the 12th Group of Institutes, Foundations and Companies (GIFE) Congress was held at the Latin America Memorial Cultural Center in São Paulo, based on the theme of “Challenging Structures of Inequalities.” Fundo Vale was present in a space created by Vale, the event’s sponsor, displaying products made by social and environmental impact businesses, in partnership with the Vale Foundation. The showcased products came from the Amazon at Home, Intact Forest movement – a platform created by Climate Ventures and the Amazon Conservation and Sustainable Development Institute (IDESAM) to sell bioeconomy products on the internet. Since the pandemic began, e-commerce company Mercado Livre has been supporting this movement.
Márcia Soares, Fundo Vale’s partnerships leader, participated in a panel discussion called “The Bioeconomy as a Path to Sustainable Development.” She spoke about projects supported by Fundo Vale and the importance of having a type of economy that values the Amazon’s biodiversity products in order to conserve the biome.
“This isn’t anything new. For a long time, traditional peoples and communities have been harvesting forest-based products in a sustainable way. However, we are now talking about boosting these enterprises and supporting their management, access to markets and marketing, as well as enabling them to invest more consistently, so that this economy can become more relevant to the region,” she said.
Malu Paiva, Vale’s vice president for sustainability, took part in a panel discussion called “Possibilities for a Brazil Without Hunger and Misery.”
Amazonian products sold in southeastern Brazil
Fundo Vale has supported the Amazon at Home, Intact Forest movement since it was created, helping structure its management, communication, finances and sales of Amazon products in southeastern Brazil.
By attending events like the GIFE Congress, which discusses social and environmental issues and promotes the bioeconomy through solutions that generate positive impacts for Amazonian communities, Fundo Vale helps implement its ideation, product and commercialization strategies.