FIRST FORUM - MAY 2023

The World’s First Business Chamber Dedicated to Sustainable Development of the Amazon Basin Launches in Miami

The Amazon Chamber will foster investor and private sector ties with sustainable entrepreneurial ventures and non-profits seeking to protect the critically endangered Amazonian basin.

Miami, FL (May 16, 2023) – The Amazon Chamber launched in Miami on May 10, 2023 with the goal of promoting sustainable economic development in the world’s largest tropical rainforest. It will connect entrepreneurs from the Amazon’s historically underrepresented and under-resourced communities with partners, investors, and funding while also granting U.S. business leaders opportunities to invest in protecting one the world’s most important biomes.

The Amazon Chamber partnered with the Governors’ Climate and Forest Taskforce to host the launch event at Babson College Miami, which convened an esteemed lineup of speakers and attendees, such as the governors of the Brazilian states of Acre and Rondônia and Peruvian states of Huánuco, and Loreto. Though representatives from Ecuador and Bolivia were unable to attend, their governments have similarly committed to the Amazon Chamber’s intercontinental mission.

City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez presented a proclamation celebrating the launch and underscoring the historic significance of the occasion by stating that, “On this day, May 10th, let it be known, that we declare today as the 'Day of the Amazon Bioeconomy Chamber in Miami!' Together, we celebrate our shared commitment to sustainable growth and prosperity, honoring our responsibility to future generations.”

The State University of Amazonas (UEA) also presented an official decree to the Amazon Chamber’s Executive Development Committee. "We recognize that this unique initiative is innovative, disruptive, and of great importance for Brazil and the Amazon,” said UEA Dean Dr. Andre Luiz Nunes Zogahib. “We take this moment and opportunity to express UEA's support for the Chamber and our commitment to be one of its founding partners.”

The Amazon Chamber promotes sustainable businesses through matchmaking services and events, connecting U.S. leaders with initiatives in Latin America’s Amazonian regions at different stages of development, such as:

• Eco Panel (http://ecopaineldaamazonia.com.br/), developed by UAE Professor Antonio Mesquita, the company uses açaí fruit waste fiber as a furniture raw material. Mesquita won several awards for his highly scalable, innovative circular economy solution. “I learned the technique with an artisan woman from a traditional riverine community,” said Professor Mesquita, highlighting the importance of valuing and respecting the human capital of Amazonian people.

• Amayu (https://amayu.com/), a superfruit juice that uses sustainably harvested fruits from the Amazon such as camu camu, buriti and açaí, exemplifies a sustainable business that values the Amazon’s biodiversity and is already available for purchase in Miami.

• Inatú Amazonia (https://idesam.org/projetos/inatu/), a brand of essential oils developed in association with local producers and Serras Guerreiras de Tupuruquara, a tourism initiative developed with indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon.

Júlia Bussab Fonseca, a member of the Amazon Chamber’s Executive Development Committee and a consultant specialized in developing sustainable business models with Amazonian initiatives such as Inatú Amazônia and Serras Guerreiras, highlighted the vast scale of opportunities in the Amazon. They range from restorative and inclusive rural production practices to online marketplaces, cosmetics, renewable energy, and tourism. “The sustainable economy is already operating in the Amazon but remains underrepresented in the global market,” she said. “To scale its value, the Amazon Chamber is connecting the right initiatives with the right people to increase Amazonians’ access to resources.”

“As an entrepreneurial immigrant born in the Amazon, I understand the economic impact that comes with access and exposure to the right networks,” stated Naiana Miranda, the Amazon Chamber’s Executive Development Committee Chair. “By uniting diverse stakeholders and fostering cross-sector partnerships, the Amazon Chamber acts as a catalyst for innovation. We harness the power of collaboration and drive economic transformation by bridging the gap between Amazonia and the United States.”

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ABOUT AMAZON CHAMBER

The Amazon Chamber is the first hub connecting sustainable economic practices and

innovations from across the Amazonian basin with strategic U.S. markets. The organization

facilitates engagement among multi-sectoral stakeholders to stimulate investment and

ecological preservation in one of the world’s most critical biomes.