Our Reforestation Program

Restoring our rainforests, one pair at a time.

To Our Community,

Restoring our environment is about more than just doing what we think is right, it is an integral part of our mission and value system as a company.

Fast fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, and we were not proud of what we experienced during our time working for big footwear companies. That’s why we set out to do things differently with CARIUMA.

We’re making sneakers in a way that’s better for you and the planet. Pair by pair, we’re doing our part to rebuild our rainforests through our ecological restoration program. We chose to start in Brazil, our home country, where we can amplify our impact given our deep roots. Together, we have already planted over 2 million trees, and it’s just the beginning.

We work closely with the indigenous communities local to the area, following their guidance on how to tend to the land and best support regrowth and restoration, improve seed storage efficiency and replanting methods that mitigate risk and preserve biodiversity.

Ecological restoration is urgent and a foundational piece of mitigating the impact we have already made on our environment. As a certified B Corp organization, we are leading by example in a broader effort to reshape our industry and our planet for good.

Thank you for being on this journey with us.

David & Fernando

Here’s what we’re doing to help

The UN has declared 2021-2030 the “Decade on Restoration” and in 2022, ten great initiatives were recognized as World Restoration Flagships, with The Trinational Atlantic Forest Pact being one of them. Together with our partners, our work in the Brazilian Rainforest contributes to the pact through our plant 2 trees initiative. We work with the indigenous people to learn from their wisdom and generate work opportunities while restoring biological diversity in this essential biome. So far we have…

2,000,000

Trees Planted

100

Native Species

665

Hectares of Forest in Restoration

Restoration Method

Sponsoring Seedlings

Local Partner

Black Jaguar Foundation

Restoration Method

Sponsoring Seedlings

Local Partner

Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica

Restoration Method

Direct Sowing

Local Partner

CEPAN

Restoration Method

Assisted Natural Regeneration

Local Partner

CEPAN

Restoration Method

Assisted Natural Regeneration and Direct Sowing

Local Partner

CEPAN

Restoration Method

Assisted Natural Regeneration

Local Partner

CEPAN

Forest restoration helps reverse intense degradation and it generates direct positive impacts on water quality, biodiversity, and climate, as well as social and economic benefits.

Rafael Bitante, SOS MATA ATLÂNTICA

The partnership with Cariuma gave us the opportunity to work not only with the ecological aspects of the restoration, but also bringing the social component to the same level of importance as the fulfillment of the reforestation goals.

Severino Ribeiro, CEPAN Director

Conservation is no longer enough. If we want to have a future as a species, we must have large scale ecological restoration. The Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor connects two of the most important biomes in South America. Its restoration will positively impact livelihoods, ecosystem services and the climate crisis.

Ben Valks, BJF initiator

Restoration Methods

Restoration requires continuous research and work. Choosing the right method to work on a specific biome or region is a key factor for tree planting success. Here the three main methods our partners use in the areas that Cariuma is planting.

Direct Sowing

This technique consists in planting native and non-native seed species directly in the ground. The name “muvuca” describes the part of the technique that mixes different seeds that are selected according to the region where they are going to be used to mimic the diversity of the original environment.

Assisted Natural Regeneration

In this technique, we work with several actions to enhance the Natural Regeneration potential for each site, including fencing the area, preventing grazing, controlling ants, controlling invasive grasses, seedling planting, and improving soil fertility.

Tree Nursery

Plant nurseries are the places where we can support seedlings every step of the way in a more controlled environment. Depending on how degraded the soil of a region is, this method can be the only way to create the conditions for forest restoration. In a nursery, one can prepare the seedlings to be able to endure very hard field conditions to be able to grow and thrive.

In the News

“Cariuma has helped replant trees throughout the Brazilian rainforests. But just as important, it has helped scale the work of three nonprofits focused on biodiversity and reforestation.”