The plant on the left is urukum, which is used to make a pigment dye for Uruku lipstick, made by Aveda on the right. Aveda, a unit of Estee Lauder, buys Urukum from the Yawanawa Indian tribe in Western Brazil, where they have used urukum to make body paint for a long time. Aveda joins a long list of companies, including Starbucks, Ben & Jerry's, Whole Foods, and The Body Shop, which uses cause-related marketing to convince consumers that their product are eco-friendly and can lead to sustainable community living as well. The Yawanawa, however, don't make enough money selling the dye to Aveda to support themselves. The project has become simple philanthropy for Aveda, not the sustainable business model it had hoped for.
Skin-Deep Gains for Amazon Tribe - WSJ.com
