|
|
||
|
We’re only days away from making our global debut in front of governments, world leaders, NGOs at the world’s most pivotal climate conference. Here’s what we’ve got on our agenda!
ACTIVATION
Visit the “Made From Stone Market,” a supermarket style pop-up in the Climate Action Innovation Zone from November 7th – November 18th ! Come experience the supermarket of the future, with shelves full of products Made From Stone! Register HERE to access the Innovation Zone throughout COP27 as a guest of Okeanos!
CONVERSATIONS
On November 11th, Okeanos will host Less Plastic Now! Global Opportunities and Challenges, a forum of panel discussions with a myriad of players in the fields of Carbon Credits, Technology Transfer, and more.
16:30pm – 17:15pm GMT+2: A Solution Designed by Nature for the Protection of Nature. Keynote Address by Okeanos CEO & Co-Founder, Florencio Cuétara
17:30pm – 18:15pm GMT+2: New Options to Enhance Your Climate Strategy . Moderated by World Fuel Services CCO, Wade DeClaris
Panelists: Peter Molin, Sr Manager Carbon Origination at World Kinect Energy Services, Florencio Cuétara, CEO & Co-Founder at Okeanos, Candace Vinke, Senior Director, Nature-based Innovation at VERRA
18:30pm- 19:15pm GMT+2: Leading Technology Transfer in LATAM A conversation with Ecuador, the Dominican Republic and UNFCCC . Moderated by Okeanos Chief Government Affairs Officer, Martina Hauser
Panelists: Florencio Cuétara, CEO & Co-Founder – Okeanos, Gustavo Manrique, Minister of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition for the Republic of Ecuador, Milagros de Camps, Deputy Minister of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of the Dominican Republic, Carlos Ruiz, UNFCCC Secretary for Technology
19:30pm – 21:00pm GMT+2 #WeAreTheSomeone: Cocktails & Conversation with Those Working Together to Combat Plastic Proliferation . Moderated by Okeanos Strategic Communications Director, Nicky Wyman
Panelists: Madeline Armstrong, Sustainability Partnerships Manager at Okeanos, Mohamed Kamal, Co-Director at Greenish, Amr ElKady, Head of Middle East & Africa at Plastic Bank
NEGOTIATION
In the Blue Zone, Okeanos will be based out of the Responding To Climate Change booth, where we’ll take meetings with global government partners on the topics of technology transfer, waste management legislation, decarbonization and more
Founded in 2021 by Mohit Mohapatra, NATUREPRO was born of a desire to introduce “science, nature & sustainability” to self-care products. After seeking out products for herself and being unable to find brands with substantiated sustainability claims, he set out to create one of her own, and NATUREPRO was born.
With products free from 100+ well-researched toxic ingredients and a host of global certifications including MADESAFE and Animal-cruelty free, NATUREPRO has been recognized for their commitment to identifying unique active ingredients that are ethically sourced from around the globe. “When we create a product, we make sure that it is as sustainable as it is effective. Because what we do now matters for our future and the earth’s future,” explains Mr. Mohapatra.
As a part of NATUREPRO’s sustainability goals, they have partnered with Okeanos to co-develop bottles that could bio-degradable at 50% material composition levels in a matter of few months, enabling them to use less plastic at the source and generate 50% less plastic waste. Okeanos is proud to have NATUREPRO’s bottles on the shelves at our Made From Stone Market at COP27!
To learn more about how Okeanos technology can achieve your company’s sustainability goals, contact our sales team at trade@madefromstone.com!
Koen Pack, a global leader in flower and plant packaging, keepings your beautiful blooms protected as they make their way from the shop to your doorstep. “Koen Pack makes everything to make flowers and plants more beautiful, with respect for people and the environment,” explains Marzo Zwaan, Koen Pack’s CEO of North America.
Founded in the Netherlands, the company now services retailers in Canada, China, Colombia, Germany and the United States. Sustainability has been a pillar of Koen Pack since the beginning, carefully monitoring their environmental impacts and constantly striving to improve their CO2 impacts.
This Fall, Koen Pack is introducing floral sleeves Made From Stone, offering a meaningful reduction in overall carbon footprint. With sleeves made from majority calcium carbonate, Koen Pack can also celebrate a meaningful reduction in the overall plastic content of their famed floral wraps.
To learn more about how Okeanos measures the CO2 impact of our products, check out the Life Cycle Analysis for a Koen Pack floral sleeve here!
Earlier this year, we celebrated the launch of Arroz Zulia rice bag Made From Stone. This product, now widely available in Colombia, will also be displayed on the shelves at COP27, so we sat down with Coagronorte’s Managing Director, Guillermo Infante to catch up and discuss the importance of brands large and small gaining access to sustainable technologies.
Tell us about how the launch of Arroz Zulia’s rice bag has boosted Coagronorte’s sustainability profile?
Being the first to market and being consistent with our social responsibility makes us feel proud of our new packaging. It is important to us that the consumer knows that buying our brand contributes positively to the environment.
With all these developments and with the penetration and positioning of the brand, growth is expected for years close to be up 25%, and thus continues to bring benefits associated with health, recreation, price stability, access to supplies, machinery and technology, and improving the social environment.
What made you make the switch to stone?
In order to make a solution make sense for smaller companies, localization and affordability must be there. We finance our farmers, process in our own mill and pack our own brands such as Zulia and Oro. Made From Stone worked for us because enabled our farmers to have access to sustainable technology that was previously out of reach.
Coagronorte has always been committed to the environment. Our programs are in place to reduce water use and use waste to produce organic fertilizers. Our farmers have already produced an average of 6,500 rice per hectare. Think about how many bags that makes. We had to identify a realistic, scalable and sustainable solution that tackled both urgent global threats: climate change and plastic.
The company has a storied history. How has it continued to grow since it’s inception?
Coagronorte was founded on June 27, 1967. It is made up of 575 small farmers who plant an area of 20,000 hectares a year in 7 municipalities: Cúcuta, Zulia, Los Patios, Villa del Rosario, Puerto Santander, San Cayetano and Tibú.
Today Coagronorte is the sixth largest rice company in Colombia. It markets its products in the northern part of Colombia in the departments of Antioquia, Cordoba, Sucre, Bolivar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Guajira, Cesar, Norte de Santander, Santander and Boyacá.
In this section of Set In Stone, we like to highlight the surprising, unique, and unusual phenomena and creatures that make our Okeanos worth preserving. This month we’re diving into Ras Mohammed!
In honor of COP27, we’re jumping into one of Egypt’s ocean wonders Ras Mohammed National Park. Located at the intersection of the Suez Gulf and the Gulf of Aqaba, this nature preserve is home to more than 1000 species of fish, 200 species of corals, 40 species of starfish, dolphins, sea turtles, and much much more.
A popular spot for snorkeling, diving, and birdwatching, Ras Mohammed is a must-see if you’re ever in the area! During our trip to Egypt, some of the Okeanos team members will be lucky enough to visit Ras Mohammed.
Click here to head over to our Instagram.
Meet Funmi, our Rockstar of the Month! Funmi is a member of our IT Team working to develop robust internal systems to capture leads that are capable of handling Okeanos’ extensive growth as we continue to expand around the world. Learn more about what drew him to Okeanos below!
Tell us about your childhood. Did you spend time by the ocean?
I’ve lived over 30 years of my life in amazing Lagos, Nigeria. Lagos is the most populous city in Africa and has an island, called “Lagos Island” encircled by a huge lagoon. The name Lagos means ‘lakes’ in Portuguese; therefore, Lagos Lagoon is an example of a tautological place. The lagoon lies between the Atlantic Ocean and Lagos State. Lagos is also banked by the Atlantic Ocean, and there are quite a number public/private beaches along the shores on the ocean. The Bar Beach is an example of one situated on Victoria Island. For a time, it was the most popular beach in Nigeria especially when Lagos was the capital of the country.
As a young lad living in Lagos, one would always anticipate with great excitement, visiting any of the Beaches in Lagos. However, I was never caught off by these amazing experiences because every single year; usually towards the end of the year, my dad would take us to the very popular Bar Beach in Victoria Island Lagos, to experience the solemn waves of the ocean. One of the things I look forward to doing at the beach is collecting seashells and bringing them back home to show my friends in school.
How has working for an environmentally focused company impacted the choices you make in your daily life?
Working with Okeanos has been a wonderful experience so far. The mission of Okeanos is of course to help in the reduction of CO2 in our atmosphere and the elimination of plastic in our environment. I believe in our mission and try to live by it in order to gives us a cleaner, more conducive and natural disaster-free environment.
What drew you to working for Okeanos?
Since Covid, I’ve been working remotely and needed a job that allowed me to work from Nigeria and broaden my horizons at the same time. I researched Okeanos and saw that the company was listed as one of the Great places to work (Nov 2021 – Nov 2022). I read employee testimonials and was moved by everyone’s enthusiasm for the cause. I also believe in the Okeanos mission, and I was very enthusiastic about being part of the team to help raise awareness about our calcium carbonate solution that helps to reduce the effects of CO2 in our society.
If you could pick a body of water anywhere in the world to spend time near, where would it be?
I once read about the Playa del Amor (Hidden Beach), in Mexico, and I would really love to get there someday. Another water body I would really love to visit is Arpoador, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
What new skill or hobby did you pick up during quarantine?
Simply, learning to work remotely.
Now that the world is beginning to re-open, what is the thing you’re most looking forward to?
It’s no surprise that after being cooped up for so long, many of us are just looking forward to being somewhere else! At the same time, I’m really enjoying the concept of remote work. I’d always wanted to work for a company that gave me the freedom to work and also explore at the same time. Now that I’ve done it, I can’t imagine working any other way!
Want to be part of Okeanos team?
Check out our careers page at Okeanos.job
News You Should Know: