Originals builds seed supply chain to scale forest restoration in Brazil and Mexico

Originals, a platform of the Future Climate Group, established a partner network to supply native seeds and seedlings for forest restoration projects across seven regions in Brazil and Mexico.

The company currently manages a portfolio of approximately 12,000 hectares. The model combines community and industrial nurseries with long-term contracts for seed collectors to ensure genetic diversity and high-quality planting material.

Guilherme Prado, a project director at Originals, says that the primary challenge for reforestation is securing a biological base rather than just capital or land. He explains that maintaining ecological integrity requires between 60 and 80 native species per hectare, many of which fruit only once a year during short windows. To address this, Originals works with partners including Instituto Terra de Preservação Ambiental, Agência Ambiental Pick-upau, Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, and Toroto in Mexico.

These long-term contracts provide nurseries with predictable demand, allowing them to invest in training and storage while ensuring the platform has the necessary volume of species. The project aligns with a national goal in Brazil to recover at least 12 million hectares of native vegetation by the end of 2030.

A study published in the journal Forests suggests that producing the required native seeds could generate up to 57,000 rural jobs and move up to US$ 146 million in economic activity. Originals uses protocols to track each seed lot from collection to planting, which helped its first implemented areas achieve a seedling survival rate of over 90% using more than 60 native species.

The company plans to reach 25,000 hectares by 2035, aiming to plant 10 million trees and remove 5 million tons of carbon.