In our work to promote land restoration, we engage in on-the-ground actions by developing and supporting collaborative projects that aim to restore nature – focusing on a nature-based1 land restoration project in Brazil.
Launched in 2022, Conservador das Araucárias (Araucaria Conservation Project) is one of our key initiatives to restore rural land in the Atlantic Forest in Brazil using native species. The project supports local communities, protects the flora and fauna of the region, and contributes to global efforts to combat climate change.
Why is land restoration important?
Loss of the world’s forests is concerning as it means habitat loss for all the animals, plants, and insects that depend on these forests2. Furthermore, through a loss in forest carbon stocks and a reduction in the land carbon sink, deforestation contributes to climate change3.
Restoring biodiversity, mitigating climate change and protecting the planet requires a shared, collective effort. The Araucaria Conservation Project, developed in collaboration with Apremavi, a Brazilian NGO specialising in conservation and restoration projects since 1987, is our first land restoration project.
The Araucaria Conservation Project
The Atlantic Forest is one of the world’s richest biomes, but also one of the most endangered, with only a small fraction of its original area preserved4. This puts thousands of species at risk of extinction while depriving the region, and the world, of critical carbon-absorbing forestland.
Through the Araucaria Conservation Project, we are working to restore and protect 7,000 hectares of land by 2030, the equivalent of around 10 thousand football pitches. Currently, over 3,000 hectares are under restoration5, marking real progress towards this long-term goal. This work enhances biodiversity, supports local communities, and contributes to carbon removal, quantified under the Social Carbon certification standard6.
While reducing our operational emissions remains our main focus, we also recognise that some residual emissions will remain by 2030. The carbon removals generated through this project will contribute to balancing these emissions and support Tetra Pak’s commitment to achieving net-zero GHG emissions in its operations by 20307.
The Araucaria Conservation Project
The Atlantic Forest is one of the world’s richest biomes, but also one of the most endangered, with only a small fraction of its original area preserved4. This puts thousands of species at risk of extinction while depriving the region, and the world, of critical carbon-absorbing forestland.
Through the Araucaria Conservation Project, we are working to restore and protect 7,000 hectares of land by 2030, the equivalent of around 10 thousand football pitches. Currently, over 3,000 hectares are under restoration5, marking real progress towards this long-term goal. This work enhances biodiversity, supports local communities, and contributes to carbon removal, quantified under the Social Carbon certification standard6.
While reducing our operational emissions remains our main focus, we also recognise that some residual emissions will remain by 2030. The carbon removals generated through this project will contribute to balancing these emissions and support Tetra Pak’s commitment to achieving net-zero GHG emissions in its operations by 20307.
2025 progress
At the end of 2025 the programme has 25 properties undergoing restoration, all located in Santa Catarina state and amounting to a total area of over three thousand hectares. The restoration activities for this land include the planting of over 320,000 seedlings, removal of cattle, and other actions to support natural forest regeneration.
The first years of the programme included the important work for the structuring of the Araucaria Conservation Project. This preparation work involved partnering with Apremavi and with landowners; as well as defining the carbon certification methodology and the financial compensation model for partner rural owners.
2025 progress
At the end of 2025 the programme has 25 properties undergoing restoration, all located in Santa Catarina state and amounting to a total area of over three thousand hectares. The restoration activities for this land include the planting of over 320,000 seedlings, removal of cattle, and other actions to support natural forest regeneration.
The first years of the programme included the important work for the structuring of the Araucaria Conservation Project. This preparation work involved partnering with Apremavi and with landowners; as well as defining the carbon certification methodology and the financial compensation model for partner rural owners.
The properties currently under restoration have the potential to play an essential role in conserving water resources, biodiversity and the possibility of ecological corridors. Baseline studies also commenced for carbon measurement in the project’s pilot areas as well as engagement with the carbon certification standard chosen, Social Carbon.
Image: Visit to the site Sitio Nascentes do Rio Santo Antônio where restoration work was ongoing. From left to right Wigold Schäffer, Vivian Guerreiro, Isabela Silva, Carolina Schäffer.
1 “Nature-based solutions” are actions to protect, conserve, restore, and sustainably use and manage ecosystems in a way that addresses social, economic and environmental challenges while simultaneously benefiting human well-being and biodiversity. Source: https://www.wri.org/insights/what-exactly-are-nature-based-solutions
2 WWF (2024) Living Planet Report 2024 – A System in Peril. WWF, Gland, Switzerland. Source: https://files.worldwildlife.org/wwfcmsprod/files/Publication/file/5gc2qerb1v_2024_living_planet_report_a_system_in_peril.pdf
3 Climate Change and Land IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems, pp. 37 - 74
4 https://www.worldwildlife.org/places/atlantic-forest
5 Data as of November 2025. Source: Apremavi
6 Social Carbon, https://www.socialcarbon.org/
7 Defined as achieving net-zero GHG emissions in our operations (scopes 1 and 2 and business travel) and 46% GHG reduction across our value chain by 2030 in line with 1.5°C SBTi commitment compared to our 2019 baseline.