Mercedes-Benz has announced a groundbreaking initiative in Brazil and is collaborating with aluminum and energy company Hydro on a program focused on social and economic development and environmental conservation.
According to the release, the companies officially launched the long-term Corridor Program at New York Climate Week in September. They intend to engage communities along Hydro's approximately 152-mile bauxite slurry pipeline across seven municipalities in the state of Pará, empowering locals to identify and prioritize projects that benefit them.
As part of their conservation goals, Mercedes-Benz and Hydro say they will first focus on reducing the degradation of the Amazon rainforest. After they identify ways to limit forest degradation, they aim to focus on restoration initiatives for the biodiversity hotspot.
As the World Wildlife Fund explains, researchers discover a new species in the Amazon on average every other day. The forest also plays a crucial role in helping to keep Earth's temperatures in balance, storing up to 200 billion tons of planet-warming carbon, and many of its plants are used in modern medicines.
However, scientists have warned that the Amazon could be near a disastrous tipping point as more and more of the rainforest is converted or degraded, endangering the people who depend on it for water, food, and other resources.
Brazil and numerous conservation organizations are working to raise awareness and further support the natural wonder.
According to the release, the latest initiative by Mercedes-Benz and Hydro is part of a "decarbonization roadmap."
The previously signed Memorandum of Understanding agreed to partner with local organizations in Pará to promote human rights and implement more sustainable practices in their value and supply chains.
In May 2023, the partners announced that they had completed tests to reduce the carbon generated from aluminum in series production.
"We are putting our sustainable business strategy into practice. A special focus is placed on engaging with the local communities," Mercedes-Benz Group AG Board of Management member Renata Jungo Brüngger said in the September update. "This example demonstrates that decarbonization measures and social considerations can go hand in hand."
"We are excited to further develop our strategic partnership with Mercedes-Benz, expanding our collaboration beyond low-carbon product development to create positive social and environmental impact in the Amazon," Hydro president and CEO Eivind Kallevik added.
"Working together, we aim to lift sustainability throughout our shared value chain, from mine to end-consumer product, while fostering economic opportunities and biodiversity conservation in the communities where we operate."
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