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Report 5 (of 6): Amazon à
Porter - Brazil
Introduction
Hundreds of small forest communities
in the Amazon Basin, Brazil, depend on rubber tapping
to survive. They have been badly hit by a decline
in demand caused by the increased use of plantation
rubber. Land is being cleared for cattle breeding,
which compounds the problem for both, the population
and the forest. However, haute couture, of
all things, is providing a way out. By involving rubber
tappers in sustainable production of Treetap®, a smooth
and durable material which feels like leather, it
is reversing a cycle of unsustainable forest use and
poverty by helping to protect over 900,000 hectares
of wild forest from exploitation.
In the region of Boca do Acre (State
of Amazonas), local communities found it hard to find
buyers for natural rubber, and when they did they
sold it for only around US$0.30 per sheet. To address
this, AmazonLife, a fashion company and three rubber
producers' associations formed an alliance whose goal
is to make the rubber tappers' traditional handicraft
competitive on the international market, while also
ensuring the preservation of traditional cultures
and biodiversity of the forest. Known as Amazon Wild
Rubber Project, the initiative evolved into a company
that turns Treetap® into fashionable products and
sells them internationally.
What is Treetap®?
Treetap® is a cotton fabric which
is drenched in natural latex extracted from wild rubber
trees, Hevea brasiliensis. It is used to manufacture
a range of products such as bags, backpacks, briefcases,
garments and footwear.
Where Did it Begin?
In the early 1990s, João Augusto Fortes
and Maria Beatriz Saldanha set up a shop in Brazil
called EcoMercado, which specialised in ecological
products. The founders of EcoMercado were contacted
by rubber tappers of Boca do Acre, a region within
the Amazon, who showed them saco encauchado,
a bag made of fabric rendered waterproof by rubberising,
traditionally used by rubber tappers for carrying
latex and personal belongings. This provided the inspiration
for more products. EcoMercado made the first attempt
to produce saco encauchado. It ordered 1500
sheets from the rubber tappers. The material was used
to make the first 500 bags and briefcases in 1992
and the stock was enthusiatically received and sold
at the Earth Summit in Rio/Eco 92. However, complaints
were received from customers as oxidation had caused
the rubber surface to become sticky and EcoMercado
realised that the material would have to be improved.
The years that followed were devoted
mainly to research and development of the production
technology. By 1994, an exclusive rubber vulcanisation
process of high enough quality for commercialisation
had been created. This led to the creation of a company
called AmazonLife Company. In order to invest in the
product technology and in the infrastructure of the
production areas, the company obtained a loan from
BNDES (the Brazilian national economic and social
development bank) through BNDESpar (the investment
division of such bank). The tests of the production
technology of saco encauchado gave rise to
Treetap®, a new material that maintains the handicraft
tradition employing appropriate technologies to meet
the international quality standards. From then on,
the implementation of Amazon Wild Rubber Project proceeded
through co-operation agreements with producer associations
of the States of Acre and Amazonas.
How to Make Treetap®
- The latex, or leite (milk), as
nicknamed by the rubber tappers, is extracted from
the tree trunk through two tap-cuts. A minimum of
two years is necessary before another tap-cut can
be made on the same place.
- The latex is filtered and 'seasoned'
with a special chemical composition essential for
the Treetap® vulcanisation stage.
- Latex is collected and mixed with
water and an organic vulcanisation formula to strengthen
the product. The cotton canvas is stretched over
a frame and the mixture is strained and then painted
on to both sides of the canvas.
- It is smoke-cured - a traditional
smoker is lit and the canvas passed over the smoker
for five minutes.
- This process of drenching and smoking
is repeated six times by which time the laminate
has started to turn a yellowish colour.
- The smoked laminate is vulcanised,
a process that exposes the latex to the controlled
temperature of an oven. It is placed inside a simple
brick kiln, which houses a stove and hanging-racks.
- For two days the newly made laminates
are 'cooked' inside the kiln - which is kept between
60 and 80 degrees centigrade.
- At the end of two days the latex
mixture on the canvas has turned a deep rich brown
colour, making it look like leather. The colour
is a result of the natural chemical reaction between
wild rubber, the vulcanisation formula and heat.
- The laminates are returned to the
kiln to dry for a few hours.
- When the laminates are completely
dry (away from direct sunlight) they are cut, each
frame producing two sheets measuring approximately
80 centimetres by 60.
- These are stacked and stored until
they're collected 3 or 4 times a year to be carried
by boat to Boca do Acre and on to Rio de Janeiro.
- Some laminates stay in Boca do
Acre and a small factory makes bags for the local
tourist market.
The manufacturing process happens
within the Indian lands and extraction reserves during
the Amazon Summer, from May to November, the ideal
season to collect the latex.
In the Amazon, a structure was built
for the production units. Production units can be
just one family who are trained by producers from
other villages. The rubber producers associations
help to provide start-up materials and training. This
is important to ensure that producers turn out good
quality products that meet the demands of global standards.
The rainy season, from December to
March, enables the transportation of the Treetap®
sheets in canoes to small towns, from where they are
carried in barges on the rivers. The material is then
taken to Rio de Janeiro, until it reaches customers
in the form of diaries, backpacks, bags, shoes and
clothes.
Quality Control
All the Treetap® material undergoes
a strict quality control, specially prepared by AmazonLife.
This has been developed in collaboration with rubber
specialist chemists. Each Treetap® sheet is inspected
on the basis of seven criteria in order to ensure
its uniformity, durability and strength.
- surface smoothness
- minimum acceptable size (50 cm
x 60 cm)
- minimum acceptable thickness
- uniformity of shade
- adherence of the rubber to the
fabric
- presence of sulphur in the latex
- vulcanisation test
Commercialisation
Producers, associations and the company
worked together in the development of Treetap® and
its placement in the market. Trips were made in Brazil
and abroad, promoting the product and seeking new
buyers.
Treetap® now is distributed to several
European countries and AmazonLife has a contract to
supply top quality laminates to the French design
company Hermès Sellier. AmazonLife contract third
parties in Rio to produce bags, backpacks, briefcases,
hats and footwear for the domestic and international
market. AmazonLife acquired significant technical
knowledge during the process of development and the
improvements have placed the company in an excellent
position in the market. It is now selling bike bags
in partnership with 'Giant Europe', a large European
bicycle company.
AmazonLife helps to make consumers
aware of the importance of sustainable development
initiatives in the Amazon rainforest. Their products
serve the public who want to purchase high quality
goods from sustainable sources, knowing that they
have been produced on fair-trade and ecologically
sound principles.
Conclusion
By working to develop, produce, and
commercialise the innovative Treetap® wild rubber
product, the project contributes to improving the
quality of life in rubber tapping communities. Today,
the communities work in 32 production units within
the forest and have a guarantee that they can produce
and sell 40,000 sheets of wild rubber laminates per
year at ten times the previous price. Everyone involved
in production is guaranteed a decent wage by the company's
fair trade policy and tappers are co-owners of a patented
process, turning out material for accessories now
found in some of the world's most exclusive boutiques.
The forest units are now undergoing FSC (Forest Stewardship
Council) certification, ensuring the long-term sustainable
production of wild rubber.
With some 200 families - approximately
1000 people - involved so far, the product's economic
success has allowed for people to improve their quality
of life, improved access to citizenship and credit
- a notorious obstacle faced by the poor in Brazil,
where many people have no identification documents
and receive no money for their work. It is done in
a way that respects both the environment and their
traditional cultures.
Acknowledgements
ITDG would like to thank AmazonLife
for providing information to produce this case study.
Further Information
Hands On
Series 1:
Dyeing for Batik - Ghana;
Eco
Fashion - Denmark
Series 3:
Going, Going, Gum! - Guatemala;
Babassu Breakers - Brazil;
Dollars
from Scents - Brazil
Series 4:
Think Global, Act Natural
Amazon Life website contains extensive information
on the history of Amazon Life and you can purchase
TreeTap® products on-line.
http://www.amazonlife.com/
Rua General Almério de Moura 200 - São Cristóvão -
Rio de Janeiro
Brasil - Cep 20921-060
Phone/Fax - 5521 38782131 - amazonlife@amazonlife.com
Contact person - Maria Beatriz Saldanha
saldanha@amazonlife.com
World WildLife Fund
Article
on business partnership struck up with bike companies
using Treetap
WWF has supported training and FSC certification project
for Treetap producers and has also supporting AmazonLife
to promote Treetap Wild Rubber and find new markets
for Treetap products.
Nawa Institute
Rua Senador Eduardo Asmar nº1111 . Edifício Jerusalém,
sala 3 cep 60901-160
Rio Branco - Acre - Brasil
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