FLAVIA AMADEU supports small producers and artisans, whose economic activities are integrated with the use of sustainable natural resources. The coloured rubber represents a process of social innovation, which resulted from years of research, and has been responsible for generating social transformation and environmental preservation.​

​Only in the Amazon rainforest rubber trees grow wildly. Rubber tappers collect the latex, which is the sap of the trees in the deepness of the rainforest. The trees can be productive for generations. Each family preserves an average of 500 hectares when they are able to sustainably make it. They are considered guardians of the rainforest.

THE COLOURED WILD RUBBER

​The material is produced by communities in the Amazon rainforest. The coloured rubber is produced by an alternative method, free of harsh chemicals.

​This process was developed by the Project Tecbor/Lateq from the University of Brasília, Brazil, looking for means of sustaining the local communities and the environment. This technology enables the producers to create a valuable product using simple techniques and low cost substances. The result is a high quality material that can be used for producing countless design products and artefacts.

More than being a unique material, what makes me passionate about FSA wild rubber is that it is about people, and people who take care of the Amazon rainforest - Flavia Amadeu, at Going Wild for Rubber. Wild rubber from the Amazon, WWF-UK, 2014.

​
The demand for the FSA rubber promotes the involvement of young adults, especially women, in this economic activity. Incentives include better conditions of work, for example, allowing women to work near to their homes while taking care of the children. 

Importantly, the economic return of this rubber is superior to all the other kinds of rubber produced locally, enabling the manufacture of numerous local artefacts that can increase even more the family income. Overall, the process is environmentally friendly.