CEO Guide

Concepta Ingredientes is featured in the CEO's Guide to the Transformation of Food Systems in Brazil

The publication, developed and published by the Global Business Council for Sustainable Development (acronym WBCSD), in partnership with the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), aims to present the main business and non-business leaders working in the sector of food in Brazil.

Concepta Ingredients, a Sabará Group company specializing in natural and technological solutions for the food industry, was featured in the CEO's Guide with the case 'Sociobiodiversity Appreciation Program'. With operations focused on the food, beverage, animal nutrition and veterinary pharmaceutical, aroma, chemical and nutraceutical industries, the Company has in its DNA the promotion of the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity.

The 'CEO's Guide to the Transformation of Food Systems in Brazil' is a publication released by the Global Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in partnership with the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). It is an adaptation to the Brazilian scenario of the document "CEO Guide to Food System Transformation", published by the WBCSD in October 2019.

Its main objective is to present interviews with business and non-business leaders who work in the food sector in Brazil. Facing so many global changes and the Covid-19 pandemic, the Brazilian food industry has undergone many changes and is faced with major challenges to be able to lead the main transformations in its operating systems.

1. Transforming agriculture while restoring the environment;

2. Generate and distribute technology and innovation throughout the food system;

3. Provide quality food for all: healthy, sustainable and affordable;

4. Minimize food loss and waste;

5. Promote traceability to eliminate illegal deforestation and reward good agricultural practices;

6. Accelerate political and financial innovations to value Brazilian socio-biodiversity and natural resources;

7. Foster value chain partnerships to promote an economy.

In Brazil, oils and butters from biodiversity offer several health benefits due to the natural presence of vitamins and minerals, while ensuring sustainable exploitation, providing secure income for local communities. By promoting sustainable agro-extractivism, Concepta Ingredients promotes the conservation of biodiversity by valuing the standing forest. And by expanding responsible access to biodiversity, it is possible to increase knowledge around it, raising awareness about the conservation of the environment.

And what is the importance of consuming certified and organic foods?

There is an increasing demand for healthier products and foods with certificates of origin, which makes organic agriculture a bigger and viable option. Today, consumers are looking not only for organic products, but also for reliability and ethics. The proof of this is that, according to the Association for the Promotion of Organic Products (Organis), in the first half of 2020, the sale of products grew by more than 40% in Brazil.

The organic system, for example, unlike the conventional one, prioritizes the sustainability and conservation of the environment, also taking into account social well-being. Thus, organic products are those obtained within a sustainable agro-extractivist production system. This system benefits the local ecosystem, protects natural resources, respects the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the community, preserves the rights of the workers involved and does not use genetically modified organisms or synthetic chemicals, following organic rules in all stages of production.

In Brazil, also known as the green bond, the certification of organic products is the procedure that ensures that a given product, process or service complies with the norms and practices of organic production. Thus, it guarantees the entrepreneur a market differential and the consumer the quality of food, attesting to its reliability and origin. To respond to this, Concepta maintains its certifications valid – both for product (organic and kosher) and for management system (FSSC 22000).

Today, the company is considered one of the main suppliers of natural and organic ingredients: in partnership with communities and cooperatives, there are approximately 2 million organic hectares of cultivation in conservation, with 1% from the Caatinga, 2% from the Cerrado and 97% of the Amazon.

“We are committed to fostering the sustainable agro-extractivism chain, developing products that encourage and prioritize Brazilian inputs and also engage communities, cooperatives and associations throughout this process”, says Ulisses Sabará, CEO of Sabará Group.

In this context, it is worth highlighting the results of the Sociobiodiversity Enhancement Program, launched in 2000, which engages communities, cooperatives and associations that supply biodiversity inputs:

+ 6,930 impacted families, including partner companies, quilombola and indigenous communities engaged in Concepta's supply chain;

+ 1.9 million organic hectares indirectly conserved through the commercial relationship with these producers;

+ 27,890 people indirectly impacted by this relationship;

R$7.5 thousand on average extra income per ton per family per year.

About Concepta Ingredients

Concepta Ingredients is part of the Sabará Group and specializes in natural and technological solutions developed in accordance with the Sociobiodiversity Enhancement Program. With a work based on innovation and research, the company offers organic and exotic ingredients, supported by the training of families and conservation of environmental risk areas in different biomes in Brazil. Its vast portfolio has technological inputs from international partners and ingredients from Brazilian biodiversity to meet the most specific demands of the industries in which it is present.