About BVRio

Founded in 2011, BVRio is a non-profit organisation working at the intersection of economic, environmental and social sustainability. Our mission is to design and promote innovative market-based solutions for the benefit of the economy, the environment and people.

BVRio (Bolsa Verde do Rio de Janeiro – Environmental Exchange of Rio de Janeiro) was originally created with the objective of developing market mechanisms to facilitate compliance with Brazilian environmental laws. The models and approaches developed there have now been adapted to develop market mechanisms, economic tools, and support the development and implementation of environmental initiatives and markets in different countries and regions worldwide.

Originally incorporated in Brazil, BVRio today has presence in the UK, China, Ghana, Indonesia and the Netherlands. We have supported projects and initiatives in more than 50 countries worldwide.

Our multidisciplinary approach to supporting the green economy;

  • Creating market mechanisms to increase economic efficiency and address market failures
  • Developing tools and initiatives to support the use of market-based approaches and create liquidity to the mechanisms created
  • Contributing to public policy and promoting legal and regulatory frameworks that are efficient and able to generate environmental positive impacts.

Our Strategic Focus 2021-2025

How we work

Our development process starts with careful analysis of factors affecting the sustainability of a sector, including the legal, financial, and structural barriers. Where we think there are opportunities, we undertake stakeholder mapping and consultation, before proposing changes of regulatory framework or developing mechanisms, tools or initiatives.

Pre-operational activities

Using the insights gathered, we can then start to design and develop products and services, often starting with pilots or demonstrator projects to test proof-of-concept. Results are analysed, published and shared, and then one of three things will happen;

Results and growth

Where the product or service is best suited to being run as a non-profit initiative, we will seek to find additional funding to support the continued development, scaling-up and running by BVRio, or, in some cases, we will look for a partner to take over the running of non-profit initiatives for their long term operation for public benefit

Where there is a clear commercial application, we aim to scale our initiatives through spin-off companies or commercial ventures, such as Circular Action and Sustainable Investment Management, ensuring there is investment back into developing new initiatives.

Through this approach we can continue to create and run innovative market-based solutions with an economic, environmental and social benefit.

Governance and Funding

BVRio is funded through a combination of philanthropic support from its founders, foundations, and development organisations who share our values, vision and mission, complemented by revenue generated by products or services provided by BVRio to the private sector. By combining philanthropic seed funding with private sector revenue, BVRio aims at securing long term financial sustainability for the organisation.

Advisory Board

Pedro Moura Costa – BVRio UK, Chair
Walfredo Schindler – Brazilian Fund for Sustainable Development (FBDS)
Sérgio Bessermann – Economist and Environmental Specialist
Roberta del Giudice – Executive Secretary of the Forest Code Observatory
Alice Thuault – Executive Director of Instituto Centro de Vida – ICV
Fabricio de Campos – Agronomical Engineer with a Finance and Banking MBA

Audit Committee

Mario Henrique Lima
Felipe Guinle

The BVRio Group

BVRio Institute in Brazil (“BVRio Brazil”) is the original organisation of the BVRio group. It is a non-profit association with seven members incorporated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. BVRio UK Ltd, in turn, is a non-profit limited by guarantee company incorporated in the UK, wholly owned by BVRio Institute in Brazil. Through investment and board membership the following organisations are also part of the wider BVRio Group;

Strategic Partnership

BVRio has a strategic partnership with Sustainable Investment Management (SIM), an environmental finance firm based in the UK and Brazil, to scale up some of the concepts and models it creates.

Global Impact

BVRio believes in the South-South transfer of its initiatives, innovations and approaches. Over the last decade BVRio has expanded its operations from Brazil into the rest of the world and currently has offices in the UK, China, Ghana, Indonesia and the Netherlands.

Our mission to design and promote innovative market-based solutions for the benefit of the economy, the environment and people has no geographical boundaries. The problems we seek to address are commonplace in the global south, but their impact is felt worldwide and so our solutions are designed to be transferable and adaptable, so that they can be applied wherever in the world they are needed.

Our Team

Executive Directors

Directors

Land-Use, Agriculture, Forests & Bioeconomy

Solid Waste & Circular Economy

Operations

Partnerships

Currently working in partnership with:
Alliance to End Plastic Waste Logo ECOSecurities The Waterloo Foundation Logo
BVRio is a member of the following initiatives:
Coalizão Brasil Diálogo Florestal logo FSC Logo Observatorio MFCF logo OPNRS Logo
BVRio is proud to have worked with the following organisations:
abag ABRAMPA logo ACRE AMATA Amazonas AmigosdaTerra AMPA Boticario logo Chinese Academy of Forestry Cicla CINFT NFGA Climateworks Foundation Commflona Conservation International Brasil Conservation Strategy Fund Conservational International logo CTWPDA Danone logo Ecopore ECOSecurities EDF FCDO logo FGV logo Forest Trends Forestry Commission German Cooperation logo governo do estado rio de janeiro GTPS logo ICV logo idesam logo IFC logo Imaflora Imazon IPAM logo Kaninde logo Landscape Indonesia Lloyds Register logo Mineirinho MNCR Moore Foundation Natural Capital Partners Oak Foundation PactoDosAguas Piraque logo R20 Rio de Janeiro RioTerra Rondonia Round Table on Responsible Soy SDSN South Pole logo SRB Swiss Federal Chancellery Systemiq logo Tetra Pak logo The Lab The Nature Conservancy logo Total UKAid UNEP Veolia logo Verra logo WRI logo

Awards

Since its creation in 2011, BVRio has been awarded several prizes for its mission, vision and projects.

The Lab

Selected for development by The Lab: Driving Sustainable Investment – 2018

The Responsible Commodities Facility (RCF) project was selected by The Lab – Brazil Lab program – for development. RCF aims to provide financial incentives for soy production on existing deforested and degraded land, discouraging the further expansion of agricultural land in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Trophy Entidade Amiga 2017 – ABRAMPA

BVRio received the Troféu Entidade Amiga (friendly entity award) from the Brazilian Association of members of the Environment Public Ministry (Abrampa). BVRio was awarded for its performance in the development of socio-environmental services. The Trophy aims to promote, disseminate and improve the efficient use of natural resources, preservation of the environment, best practices and support for sustainable socio-environmental projects.

Climate Action Leader 2014 – R20

BVRio was nominated Climate Action Leader by Regions for Climate Action, created by former California/US governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to the governor’s Strategic Advisor, Mr. Terry Tamminen, “The leadership and vision of BVRio are extremely impressive and exactly the kind of example that R20 values. The founding chairman of the R20 is committed to taking action on climate change and is doing so through the development and implementation of low carbon projects.”

Katerva Prize 2013

In 2013, BVRio received the 2013 Katerva Prize in the Economy category. The award, created in 2011 by the British organisation Katerva (which in Latin stands for crowd), receives nominations from a network of international experts who choose the best projects from around the world.

Best Social Organisation 2014 – Award Madeira

In recognition of the work developed in the forest market, especially for the creation of the trading platform for environmental assets Bolsa de Valores Ambientais, BVRio won the 2014 Madeira Award of the Besc Institute of Humanities and Economics, in the category Social Organisations.