One year after its implementation, Renova Mamona, a training and technical assistance program in educommunication and agroecological entrepreneurship, has already had a positive impact on the lives of 30 small farmers in the Quilombola Community of Cordoaria, located in the municipality of Camaçari (BA). The initiative is the result of the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge promoted by the Indovynia division of Indorama Ventures. In 2022, the challenge was open to companies, universities, associations, research institutes and startups to propose innovative solutions that would minimize the adversities of the communities surrounding the factories and support local development with sustainable, creative and efficient projects. The Renova Mamona project, run by the startup TOCA Ambiental, which specializes in developing environmental actions, was the winner of the 1st edition. The startup received a prize of R$100,000 to be used to implement the pilot project.
So far, the action has been responsible for implementing four SAFs (Agroforestry Systems), using castor bean as a green manure species, totaling 2,000 square meters, which have shown a 60% increase in the variability of plant species. It also implemented four seed banks, three 100-liter biofertilizer tanks and 10 10-liter natural pesticide tanks.
Two agro-ecological fairs crowned the efforts of the farmers who believed in the initiative, with each family earning an average of 500 reais from sales. In addition, these families actively participated in six mentoring sessions and 18 training workshops offered by the program.
It is worth mentioning that during this period, we promoted an exchange of knowledge between a team of Indorama Ventures employees, who followed the evolution of the initiative, and the farmers, who had the opportunity to visit our industrial plant in Camaçari and learn about the process of transforming castor oil, as this is the ultimate goal of the program, to be able to consume this castor developed in the SAFs within the company’s processes. This whole collaborative movement represents sustainable development in practice.
Through the Renova Mamona program, we are starting a life cycle analysis of this raw material to compare it with standard monoculture management. Some important points that can be verified in advance is the fact that the program cultivates all species with zero use of manure, pesticides, herbicides, electricity and fuel.
The initiative has synergies with the Community and Responsible Supply themes in the company’s Sustainability Strategy. In 2024, Renova Mamona will continue, with the aim of maintaining and expanding the four existing SAFs; implementing four more SAFs; boosting women’s participation with a focus on the
Group of Beijuzeiras from the Quilombola Community of Cordoaria, as well as improving castor bean cultivation initiatives in SAFs with the delivery of inputs and family technical assistance. For our part, we continue to make steady progress in our aim to reimagine chemistry together, to create a better world, in practice, with real connections, acting beyond our walls, looking at the entire supply chain and at our neighbors, the communities around our operations.
About Indorama Ventures Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, listed in Thailand (Bloomberg ticker IVL.TB), is one of the leading producers of petrochemicals globally, with manufacturing in Europe, Africa, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. The company’s portfolio includes Combined PET (CPET) – a business vertical that also includes Integrated PEO, Integrated EG and MTBE assets – as well as Integrated Oxides and Derivatives and Fibers. Its products cover the main FMCG and automotive sectors: beverages, hygiene, personal care, tires and safety. With around 26,000 employees worldwide, in 2022 it generated revenues of US$ 18.7 billion. The company is listed on the Dow Jones Emerging Markets and World Sustainability Indices (DJSI). In 2024, its Integrated Oxides and Derivatives (IOD) division was renamed Indovinya.