Brazil claims to be the world’s single largest buyer of condoms, last year purchasing more than one billion rubbers for a public health distribution program. But earlier this week government officials announced that they are going local when it comes to the country’s favorite prophylactic, and in the process they will prevent the deforestation of the Amazon.
A new condom factory that will produce over 100 million rubbers a year will only use sustainably harvested latex. The rubber will only be drawn by local trappers, who preserve their trees, in a protected rain forest reserve. The government is also touting the effort as a boost for small economies.
