The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 are very much present in Natura's business model, which is based on generating a positive impact for communities, consumers, consultants, suppliers and the planet. Through initiatives related to topics such as carbon, waste, women's empowerment, education, water, biodiversity and the Amazon, we contribute directly and indirectly to advancing 16 of the 17 SDGs, making our brands and sub-brands platforms that encourage new production and consumption models.
Since 2000, with the launch of the Ekos line, Natura has sought to transform socio-environmental challenges into business opportunities. A pioneer in using biodiversity in its products, the Natura Ekos line fostered the creation of the Amazon Program, one of Natura's most important initiatives to preserve Life on Earth. Through this program, which aims to expand employment and income opportunities for the local population by combining science and traditional knowledge for the sustainable exploitation of biodiversity, Natura has contributed to the conservation of 257 thousand hectares of standing forest, an area equivalent to more than 277 thousand football fields.
In its production chains, Natura seeks to promote the harmonious use of terrestrial ecosystems, thus reversing land degradation and biodiversity loss. Since 2011, the company has invested more than R$1 billion in the region, exceeding its investment target for the Amazon by 2020. In 2016 alone, Natura invested more than R$220 million in the Amazon region, mainly for the purchase of ingredients.
Natura's business model also aims to reduce carbon emissions as much as possible and offset what we have not yet managed to stop emitting, within the Carbon Neutral Program, which completes a decade in 2017. In this way, Natura contributes to mitigating climate change, another Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 13).
In this program, the company quantifies emissions throughout the production process, from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of products by the consumer, implementing actions to reduce and offset emissions by considering not only its own processes, but also those of its entire production chain. The need to reduce emissions has led us to important innovations. As a result, Natura reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 33% between 2007 and 2013, and now aims to reduce emissions by a further 33% by 2020.
Natura also supports female entrepreneurship and fosters education through its network of more than 1.8 million consultants in Brazil and Latin America. Relationship selling is an important source of income for thousands of women. Last year alone, Natura distributed more than R$1.4 billion among Natura Beauty Consultants.
The HDI of the Natura Beauty Consultant, an internal survey carried out by the company, shows that the index, which aims to measure the quality of life of these women, increased by 7.8% between 2014 and 2016, and the longer the time in business, the better the result measured by the indicator.
Natura also encourages consultants to access education by offering partial scholarships for universities, English courses and financial education, allowing them to realize their full potential. More than 25,000 Natura Beauty Consultants and their families have already returned to school, with the opportunity to even take university courses.
The exclusive benefits offered by Natura in education are financed with the income from the Crer Para Ver program, which raised R$38 million in 2016 alone. In this way, Natura contributes to the provision of quality education on the planet.
Natura is always connected to the global agenda, seeking to assess the transformative potential of the company's operations, always with the aim of generating shared prosperity. Learn more about Natura's initiatives for the sustainable development of the planet on our website.
Learn more about the actions that contribute to the development of the Amazon region: http://bit.ly/NaturaODS
