Aveda, Yawanawá joint victory
This article was originally published in The Rose Sheet
Executive Summary
Success of the Yawanawá - Aveda's sourcing partner for uruku, a red dye used in the company's makeup - in securing rights to roughly 125,000 acres of "rich, biodiverse" land in the tribe's native Brazil will protect the land from deforestation by rubber developers and loggers, according to Aug. 30 release from corporate responsibility champion Aveda (1"The Rose Sheet" March 26, 2007, p. 6). In addition to supporting "the great web of life that the Yawanawá are a part of," the territory "is also the foundation of their cultural identity, history and dreams, and enshrines the burial sites of legendary warriors, chiefs and shamans," Aveda President Dominique Conseil notes. Aveda says it has supported the Yawanawá for 15 years in the people's battle to preserve their customs and independence; for the past three years, the two have participated in a UN forum on "how business leaders can embrace indigenous wisdom and conduct business in a socially and environmentally conscious manner"...