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How the Third Industrial Revolution Will Disrupt Businesses and Help Fight Climate Change  

We live in a world where resources are scarce, the global population continues to grow, climate change has started to have a significant impact on the global economy and traditional capitalist business models continue to exploit resources in an unsustainable manner. All of this has led to the sprout of political extremism and the dissemination of false information to mask real problems such as climate change. Fortunately, a new generation concerned with the social, political and environmental future of the planet, has already started to drive change across many industries and continues to disrupt the foundations of our society for the betterment of the global population. …

Conservative Leaders in Brazil and The United States May Spell the Beginning of a New Era for Both Countries

The United States and Brazil have been uneasy allies during the best of times. Spying scandals, political unrest, and other factors have made smooth relations between the countries difficult. However, after the recent election of Jair Bolsonaro, who shares similar views as US president Donald Trump, the relationship between these two countries is beginning to look much brighter. In the first nine months of 2018, Brazil’s trade with the US already increased to US$ 52.58 billion. Brazil’s economy expanded 0.8 percent in the third quarter as investment rose at its fastest pace since 2009. A recent jump in business and consumer confidence suggests growth is further accelerating with Jair Bolsonaro having taken office on January 1st.

After years of left-wing governments, Brazilian voters have now chosen a right-wing candidate whose speech and policy proposals resonate with Trump’s.…

Communication on Progress 2018: Primal Group Reafirms its Commitment to the UN Global Compact

As a proud member of the United Nations’ Global Compact since 2015, we have recently submitted our annual Communication on Progress Report. In this report we reaffirm our commitment to the UN Global Compact in the areas of Human Rights, Labor, Environment and Anti-Corruption, and report on our advancements in integrating the Global Compact’s 10 principles into our overall strategy and day-to-day business.

This year’s report highlights the efforts that we have carried out throughout the past year in order to further improve our practices and fulfill our role as a green and sustainable company. In this report you will be able to follow our progress in different areas of the company, such as:

Our commitment to human rights through the implementation of new policies that allow us to create a safe and respectful working environment for all our employees.

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Climate Report: Extreme Weather Will Continue to Pound US and Global Economy

Throughout the Northern Hemisphere this summer, heat waves have been breaking records and sustaining wildfires of unprecedented fury. These events are providing further proof that a changing climate continues to lead to severe consequences for humanity. At least 85 people were  killed during the recent series of wildfires that struck California; 249 are listed as missing. Nearly 19,000 buildings, most of them homes, have been destroyed. A report released by the White House and created by the US Global Change Research Program states that an increase in climate change could continue to cause wildfires, heat waves and strong hurricanes across the United States. …

New Azadirachtin Production Factory Signals Neem Market Growth

As far back as 2011, our Founder and CEO, Anthony J. Archer, came across neem in his efforts to attain a first class, sustainable and non-toxic coconut plantation in Brazil. Immediately following the very first conversation with our agronomists when neem was proposed as a possibility to cover pesticide, fungicide and fertilizer needs of our project, our founder began researching the amazing benefits and viability of the neem tree. Our Founder quickly came to believe that it was only a matter of time before Neem and the 200 biochemicals contained with it, would become mainstream.

When we as a company started to discuss neem with our clients, very, very few people had even heard of it, never mind understood the benefits and potential as a key resource in the fight to attain a more sustainable method to grow food.…

Solution to Plastic Waste is Do or Die Towards Solving Climate Change

Climate change is fast becoming a dooming reality, with 97% of climate scientists agreeing that human activity is driving a climate crisis across the Earth. Under the Paris Agreement, major nations around the globe agreed on a goal to limit warming to below 2°C by 2100. However, at our current rate of emissions, we’re likely to soar past 1.5°C (2.7°F) as early as 2030 and hit 3°C (5°F) by 2100.

The major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions is the burning of fossil fuels, and most of these emissions are generated during energy consumption in the plastic processing industry. The most used material in the world, plastic could also be considered the most dangerous, given the amount of pollution generated during its manufacturing, transportation and subsequently through its often improper disposal.…

The Ozone Layer: Another Reason to Invest in Ethical Businesses

16 September – International Day for the Conservation of the Ozone Layer
United Nations

The ozone layer plays a key function in protecting humans from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. The ozone layer has suffered damage through the years due to a group of manufactured chemicals, containing chlorine and/or bromine. These chemicals are called “ozone-depleting substances” (ODS). Ozone layer depletion increases the amount of UV irradiation that reach the Earth’s surface; this can increase the risk of  skin cancer, particularly at higher latitudes, and affect the development of plants and marine ecosystems. ODS are stable, non-toxic and environmentally safe in the lower atmosphere, which is why they became so popular in the first place.

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How Consumer Pressure could Spell the End of Toxic Pesticides

In August 2018, Monsanto, the agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology company, was sued by a groundskeeper in the US who claimed to have developed cancer after years of using Roundup, a popular weed killer made by Monsanto. A judge ruled in his favor and ordered Monsanto to pay $289 million in damages. Glyphosate, a herbicide and a key ingredient in Monsanto’s weed killer, has been linked to cancer by California State researchers and the World Health Organization (WHO). This case could become a landmark in the future of chemical pesticides and herbicides, and proof of how in the age of social media and consumer power, companies will be forced to adhere to a higher standard of safe and sustainable products such as biopesticides.

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Brazil’s Major Contenders and What it Means for the Future of Agriculture

The upcoming Brazilian election is a significant moment, as an election is for any country. The challenge during election years is always to rise above the political circus and the media noise, and to extrapolate how the outcome of any election affects your interests. In this case, how the potential outcomes of the Brazilian elections will affect the agriculture industry.

Representing everything attractive and challenging about long-term higher returns likely to come from emerging markets, the country with the 8th largest global GDP has experienced significant growth in the agricultural sector. Expected to become the world’s largest foods exporter by 2020, the agriculture and agribusiness sectors have been the biggest contributor to the economic recovery of Brazil, now representing 23.5% of GDP, the highest level in 17 years.

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Agriculture and Technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

With the world’s population expected to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, farmers will need to produce more food to feed the world over the next 35 years than in the last 2000 years! According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), a quarter of all food, measured by calorie content, is wasted from “farm to fork”, and 8% of this loss occurs in the upstream value chain. As the primary source of food, agriculture contributes significantly to arable land depletion and environmental degradation as a result of the prolific use of fertilizers, pesticides and other chemical inputs. The International Food Policy Research Institute indicates that 5 to 10 million hectares of cropland are lost annually due to severe degradation, and that crop yields are continually decreasing over a much larger area.

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