Few income generating opportunities exist in the urban areas of Belem and the rural communities of Para in Brazil. A major challenge is to create new economic opportunities for the population without worsening the deforestation problem in the region.

To this end, Amazon Paper is training and employing low income indigenous people to produce artistic paper products such as lamps, stationery and calendars. Both the coloring and the plant fiber used to create the products are derived from plants grown as part of a regional deforestation program. In this way, a sustainable value chain is created, providing new jobs and income, while also preserving the region's fragile ecosystem.


The Grassroots Business Initiative's (GBI) has been supporting Amazon Paper to help transform the enterprise from a non-profit social development initiative into a market-oriented social enterprise, and has been providing financing and technical assistance to:

• Explore and understand market opportunities
• Increase management capacity, particularly in accounting
• Increase sales capacity
• Enhance production
• Develop a solid business plan
• Measure and monitor socio-economic impact

For more information visit www.amazonpaper.com