ABS in practice

ABS in practice
Juan Fernando Botero / Ecoflora Cares
Ecoflora Cares
•
Most consumer product companies and their suppliers,
driven by higher awareness, look for natural/healthier/more
responsible/sustainable alternatives to replace synthetic
chemicals
•
In a world full of health issues and environmental problems
we develop profitable and radical bioinnovations for a better
world
•
Ecoflora is located in Colombia, which hosts the 2nd largest
biodiversity in the world and has developed key skills and
capacities related to sustainable sourcing, R&D, engineering
and legal compliance, required to assure the success of
disruptive natural innovations.
Business Strategy
Supply chains
•
Ecoflora has
developed a strong
relationship with
vulnerable
communities in
Colombia through
strong win-win
relations aimed at
protecting the
forests and its
resources as means
of sustainably
improving their
income and life
conditions.
Emberá
Katios
(Chigorodó)
50 families
Afrodecendent
Communities
(Atrato‐Chocó)
320 families
Paeces
Indigenous
Communities
(Cauca)
40 families
Peasant
Communities
(Northern Nariño)
28 families
Peasant
Communities (San Luis‐Antioquia)
40 families
Peasant
communities
(Guaviare)
30 families
The case - ABS
The case - ABS
Ecoflora has developed a new natural ingredient (a Natural Blue color) derived
from Jagua (Genipa americana) under the requirements of national and
international law concerning access and equitable sharing of benefits and with a
strong comitmment to ethical biotrade standars.
From theory to reality – Context and facts:
1. The biological resource grows in the wild in the Chocó
rainforest, as it does in many tropical countries from
Southern Mexico to Paraguay.
2. More than 500 afrodescendent families live in the
region where the paved road is replaced by the Atrato
River.
3. Government granted land titles to ethnic communities
back in the 90s.
The case - ABS
Ecoflora decided to foster among farmers together with
local NGOs (Espave Foundation) the conservation of
the specie and the execution of a management
program to be able to harvest and prevent damage to
the trees.
For five years Ecoflora has sponsored the protection of
Jagua and the trainning of farmers to sustainably
grow it and harvest it.
Ecoflora encouraged the creation 3 years ago of a
private company owned by the community whose role
is to sustainably use and transformed in value added
products the resources from the forest.
This company has become Ecoflora’s direct supplier
of resources and an ally to bring improvements to
the process from the tree up to the production line.
The case - ABS
Community:
•
•
•
•
Major Counsel
of the land
titles
• Access
Contract
Land Owners
Harvesters
Transport means
Other labor intensive tasks
Fruit Supplier
Interface NGO
(Community Owned
company)
Fruit
$
• Research
Agreement
FP $
Blue
Market
Research / Training for
improving productivity
and efficiency
Long‐term
supply contract
A
B
S
Agreed Fair
Price
Institutional
Strengthening
Educating and
Training
Capacity to
obtain Cofinancing
resources
The case - ABS
Supply
Major Counsel
Research & Production
Community
Local Counsels
Customers/ Final
formulators
Supplier
Colombian
Government
Access Contract
D391 CAN
Access to genetic
resources
contract
Research/
Commercial
Market
Reg. Env. Aut.
Local Supply
Agreements
Supply Contract
Forestry Permit
UEBT
Sanitary Registration
GMP/HACCP/ISO
Use permits:
INVIMA, FDA,
EFSA
Final product
testing and
development
Final product
registration and
permits
Steps towards AGR
Jagua Project
socialization
with
Afrodescendent
communities in
Atrato Region
Fruit
availability
assessment.
First Price
estimates.
Price revision
I.
Informal
consultations
with local
communities
Census of the
specie
(2006)
Price revision II.
Regional
environmental
authorities (CAR)
consultation
Conservation and
sustainable
harvesting
technics Training
for land owners
Formal
request of
forestry
utilization
permits to
CARs
Issuance of
ethnic minotrity
presence
certificates –
Ministry of the
interior
Formal petition of
access permits
and contracts
(Collection,
Research,
Commericalizatio
n) – MADS
Steps towards AGR
Training session
on Intellectual
Property and
Genetic Resources
Regulation to the
Major Council
Protocolization
of consultation
with
communities
(MI and MADS)
Preconsultation
with
communities –
free, prior
informed
consent (MI
and MADS)
AGR collection
permit (MADS)
Forestry
utilization
permit
Supply contract
with supplier
(local
community
owned
company)
AGR contract
and permit
(Research)
Accessory
contract
negotiation with
communities
(Major and local
counsels)
AGR contract
Commercial
Purporses (in
course)
Lessons Learnt
1. It is not impossible
2. The company must be aware of the responsibility
behind negotiating with a vulnarable community
3. The company must make efforts to teach and train the
community in order to prepare them for the negotiation
process
4. In Colombia, where this regulation is still recent,
governmental entities lack integrated processes. The
company shall act as a brigde to ensure an effective
communication and interaction among them.
Lessons Learnt
5. Not always what the company considers to be a benefit
for the community is perceived as such by them. A
strong understanding of the community must be
accomplished before discussing ABS criteria.
6. A company-individual supplier approach is not
sustainable. The company shall encourage and advise
the community in creating its own enterprise.
7. The operational structure of such enterprise MUST be
profitable under theorical reachable premises.
8. As we could see, this takes a long time. Pacience and
persistance is a key success factor in this process.
Thank you for your time
Juan Fernando Botero
jbotero@ecofloracares.com
www.ecofloracares.com