Today is Earth Day

This year, Earth Day is dedicated to the commitment to end plastics for the future health of humans and our planet.

The goal is to reduce the production of all plastics by 60% to be achieved by 2040!

Our partnership with WeForest is taking concrete steps towards this goal, especially through their project with IPÊ in the Pontal do Paranapanema region. Here, community nurseries are revolutionising the way we grow native seedlings, shifting from harmful plastic tubes to environmentally friendly ‘ecopots’ made from biodegradable paper.

These ecopots are not just good for the earth; they're better for the seedlings too. "The roots can grow through the biodegradable tube because of the paper's porosity,” explains Nivaldo Ribeiro Campos, who coordinates the community nurseries. This natural growth process helps seedlings thrive once planted in the field, all without the need to remove them from their containers. This reduces waste, labour and, consequently, costs.

Thanks to WeForest and IPÊ, each nursery began this sustainable journey equipped with 40 production trays and 5,000 ecopots. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with nursery owners quickly seeing the benefits. Already, 10% of production has switched to these eco-friendlier options.

This Earth Day, let’s embrace these steps towards reducing plastic use and protecting our beautiful Earth.