The Amazon Rainforest ‘Tops’ Forbes' Billionaires

Move over Elon Musk, The Amazon Rainforest has made the top ranking of Forbes’ ranking of the world’s richest billionaires in a special advertising campaign by global beauty brand Natura.

The cover takeover of Forbes’ billionaire list featuring the Amazon Rainforest declared the richest entity in the world goes live online on Friday, April 26. A corresponding print edition with the cover highlighting the Amazon Rainforest’s “achievement” will be released on May 10.

The Amazon Rainforest tops Forbes' renowned list of the world's billionaires with a staggering valuation of $317 billion cited independently by the World Bank.

This groundbreaking branded content activation was conceived in partnership with São Paulo-based Natura and its Brazilian agency, Africa Creative, which is part of Omnicom Group’s DDB Worldwide. 

“Over more than 20 years of intense work in the Amazon, we have had the privilege of demonstrating to Brazil and the world that it is possible to respect the region's socio-biodiversity and value the knowledge of traditional communities through regenerative practices”, said Natura CMO and global head of innovation Tatiana Ponce. “Now, once again, this has been proven and we highlight the incomparable wealth coming from the standing forest, achieved through the sustainable development of the Amazon region, which enables us to create high-performance products based on bio-innovation and biodiversity.”

The Power of Bioeconomy

Natura’s campaign comes as the brand is celebrating its 55th anniversary. The cosmetics company has a wide range of beauty and personal care products, including skincare, haircare, perfumes, makeup, and body care items. Many of its products are formulated using natural ingredients sourced from the Amazon rainforest.

Over the years, Natura has developed a strong reputation as a pioneer in leveraging the bioeconomy of the Amazon. By focusing on sustainable business practices, Natura has been instrumental in demonstrating that the forest’s value extends far beyond timber or agricultural land. Over the past 24 years, Natura has worked diligently with local communities to harvest bioactive ingredients for cosmetics, ensuring that preserving the forest is more profitable than exploiting it. Their efforts have led to the preservation of over 2 million hectares of forest and have positively impacted the lives of more than 10,000 families.

This special Forbes cover is a symbolic representation of a broader movement that Natura has championed: that the Amazon’s preservation is economically viable and critical for the planet.

The campaign developed by Africa Creative and approved by Forbes showcases that the standing forest is worth seven times more than the potential earnings from its destruction.

A Strategic Collaboration

The partnership between Natura, Forbes, and Africa Creative is a testament to innovative thinking in advertising and editorial standards.

“At Africa Creative, it's a monumental achievement to showcase the immense value of the standing Amazon on the cover of Forbes' Billionaires issue,” said Joanna Monteiro, co-CCO of Africa Creative. “We approached Forbes with a concept that transcended traditional advertising norms because we believed the message about the Amazon's economic and environmental significance needed a grand stage. Forbes recognised the unique, critical importance of this message and the execution. It readily agreed to the special cover.”

“There's no one better suited to highlight the unparalleled value of the Amazon than Natura,” Joanna concluded.

The cover itself is designed to captivate. It features a vivid depiction of the Amazon’s lush biodiversity, symbolising the wealth and life it holds. Readers will find the conventional cover beneath, linking the extraordinary story of the Amazon with the influential content of Forbes' global billionaires' list.

As Natura continues to lead efforts in sustainable development, its collaboration with Forbes is expected to inspire other brands as well as communities worldwide to rethink how they value our natural resources. The campaign puts a spotlight on the potential of bioeconomy as a transformative force for good, demonstrating that economic incentives can align with environmental stewardship.