By Marina Grossi*
Over the past three decades, açaí has evolved from being a staple of the Amazonian population's diet to becoming one of the main products in the forest's bioeconomy chain. Since the 1990s, the violet-colored berry has won over palates throughout Brazil and countries like the US and Japan, generating US$720 million in sales in 2019, a growth of US$12.61 billion per year, according to the Amazon Entrepreneurship Center in Belém. The commercial success of açaí and its successful trajectory illustrate the market potential of products from Brazil's so-called sociobiodiversity and point to ways for other ingredients to gain consumer appreciation. There's no shortage of candidates: licuri, a coconut native to the Caatinga, which, in addition to being a food source, has extensively studied pharmacological properties; cumaru, which exudes a vanilla-like aroma and is used in gastronomy and perfumery; the sapucaia nuts from the Atlantic Forest, which are very high in protein, among many other examples.
From the Amazon to the Cerrado, Brazilian biomes, with their diverse fauna and flora, have the potential to generate value for society through the production of medicines, cosmetics, high-nutritional-value foods, and biomaterials. In the Brazilian Legal Amazon alone, strengthening the bioeconomy and sociobiodiversity production chains has the potential to increase Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by R$1.5 billion annually, generating 312,000 additional jobs by 2050, according to a study by WRI Brasil in partnership with more than 70 researchers.
Seizing the opportunities offered by Brazil's biodiversity, however, requires developing value-adding strategies based on a new, innovative industrialization process that combines traditional knowledge of local populations with scientific research. As president of the G20 last year, Brazil pioneered the approval of the Ten High-Level Principles on the Bioeconomy, placing the issue at the forefront of multilateral debate and reinforcing the need for international cooperation to boost innovation, entrepreneurship, and the sustainable financing of these production chains.
Another important step was taken internally to advance public policies on the topic. In February, the first meeting of the National Bioeconomy Commission (CNBio) was held in Brasília. It consisted of 34 members, including representatives from civil society, the business and financial sectors, academia, and various government agencies.
The role of the National Bioeconomy Commission will be to identify priorities for the development of the bioeconomy in Brazil and advance the development of the National Bioeconomy Plan (PNDBio), which will encompass the various dimensions of the bioeconomy, considering a broad spectrum of economic activities related to the sustainable use of biodiversity, conservation, and restoration. The plan will be submitted to public consultation, and it is expected that, at the end of the process, Brazil will finally have a state policy for the development of the bioeconomy.
Brazil is a signatory to the Kunming-Montreal Agreement, signed at the 2022 COP15 Biodiversity Summit, which established 23 global targets to be implemented by the 168 signatory countries – among them, protecting 30% of terrestrial and marine ecosystems by 2030. The bioeconomy, therefore, emerges as one of the solutions to promote the sustainable use of our natural heritage and opportunities for various sectors of the economy and society. The Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), together with the Brazil Climate, Forests, and Agriculture Coalition, the Arapyaú Institute, and The Nature Conservancy Brazil, is part of the Consortium that provides technical and strategic support to the Bioeconomy Secretariat of the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change in implementing this agenda. This project is part of the UK Pact Program portfolio.
It's important to recognize that the term "bioeconomy" itself is still unfamiliar to most Brazilians, and the formulation of the National Plan will help clarify and clarify these opportunities and their potential for the country's socioeconomic development. Furthermore, the bioeconomy can be seen as an agenda for regional development and combating the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, as it assumes that prosperity can be generated from standing forests and various natural resources, reducing deforestation and carbon emissions.
The development of a public policy focused on the bioeconomy is, therefore, an unprecedented milestone that points to the future we want. Brazil has the greatest biodiversity on the planet, a large supply of biomass, a clean energy matrix, a diversified industrial base, and scientific capacity – combining natural potential with human capital will be essential to fostering new economic capabilities, with an impact on people's quality of life and the planet's resilience.
* Marina Grossi is president of CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development), an organization with 28 years of experience and 120 large member companies.
