Aveda Celebrates the Success of the Yawanawa Tribe in Securing Rights to 93,000 Hectares of Sacred Land.

NEW YORK -- The Yawanawa tribe, Aveda's sourcing partners for uruku, announced their recent success in securing rights to 93,000 additional hectares (125,000 acres) of land in their native home of Brazil. The demarcation of this land is a monumental achievement, and formalizes the tribe's rights to a total of 187,400 hectares (450,000 acres) of rich, biodiverse land, protecting it from deforestation. The newly-recovered territory houses numerous sacred burial sites and holds significant cultural meaning for the Yawanawa, who are wholly dedicated to strengthening and preserving their traditional knowledge and culture.

Aveda first partnered with the Yawanawa tribe in the early 1990s, when exploring partnership opportunities with an uruku plantation. In 1993, Aveda's first indigenous partnership was born--beginning with a project to cultivate 13,000 seedlings of uruku--a red dye used in Aveda makeup. With the Company's support, the Yawanawa built a village, called Nova Esperanca (New Hope), and planted the uruku on their land.

"After years of struggling together, it is extremely special for us to regain this important land," says Tashka Yawanawa, Chief of the Yawanawa. "We thank Aveda so much for always supporting our efforts."

Aveda has supported the Yawanawa tribe, its first indigenous global sourcing partners for 15 years in their fight to maintain their customs and independence despite the invasion of rubber developers and loggers.

"This land's ecosystem supports the great web of life that the Yawanawa are a part of," said Dominique Conseil, president of Aveda. "It is also the foundation of their cultural identity, history and dreams--and enshrines the burial sites of legendary warriors, Chiefs and Shamans. As a result of this demarcation of additional land rights, hundreds of thousands of hectares of rainforest ecosystem will escape destruction by loggers, and conserved forests will help offset carbon emissions." Conseil continues, "In a world plagued by climate crisis, it is still possible to reverse the trends; by taking action, we can all create a legacy of beauty and diversity for the benefit of future generations. Aveda joins the Yawanawa in thanking our colleague David Hircock for the invaluable help he provided in securing a positive outcome to a long struggle."

For the third consecutive year, Aveda and the Yawanawa have participated in an annual UN forum focused on how business leaders can embrace indigenous wisdom and conduct business in a socially and environmentally conscious manner. This year's forum, "A Dialogue for the Future," discussed how corporations can work together with indigenous peoples to impact their land rights. Tashka Yawanawa was a panelist at the conference, held at the United Nations, alongside Dominique Conseil, president of Aveda.

Aveda's strategic business commitment to indigenous partners puts environmental leadership and responsibility at the forefront of each decision. The Aveda network of service providers and guests offers tremendous support to this sustainable business model.

"We thank the Aveda network for embracing our mission and brand values," says Aveda President Dominique Conseil. "By choosing Aveda, they are supporting indigenous communities such as the Yawanawa. Their commitment creates a ripple-effect of sustainable success for all."

The demarcation of additional land rights is a monumental achievement for the Yawanawa, who, with Aveda's continued support, will continue their efforts to secure rights to more of their native land.

Aveda[TM], The Art and Science of Pure Flower and Plant Essences[TM], was founded in 1978 with the goal of providing beauty industry professionals with high performance, botanically based products that would be better for service providers and their guests, as well as for the planet. Aveda manufactures professional plant-based hair care, skin care, makeup, Pure-Fume[TM] and lifestyle products. Headquartered in Blaine, Minnesota, Aveda is available in Aveda stores, on www.aveda.com, and in nearly 7,000 professional hair salons and spas in 24 countries worldwide.