Newsletter Okeanos® | Made From Stone™

Rockstar Intro: Meet Marcelo Cunha, our extraordinary Business Development Manager who cultivates relationships at work, and fruit trees at home! Read on to learn about how working for Okeanos has inspired him to get back to nature. 

Tell us about your childhood. Did you spend time by the ocean? 

I was born in São Paulo, Capital – Brazil, and I was a child who really liked playing football and studying. At school I was always competing to get the best grades. I am the youngest of three children, and have a brother and a sister. I've never lived in seaside towns, but my parents took me to the beach throughout my childhood. I have very good memories playing in the sand and water on my father's back and my mother's lap. 

Has working for an environmentally focused company impacted the choices you make in your daily life?

It certainly changed my way of thinking, choosing products and my behavior as a consumer as well. After 20 years working in the plastics commercial area, I started my work at Okeanos and was delighted when I understood the focus on the environment and today, I am proud to be part of this global team that offers innovations never seen before in the packaging market. 

Tell us about the movement toward sustainability in Brazil. Are brands taking responsibility for the impact of their products?

Many companies have been looking for sustainable packaging here in Brazil, quite possibly because consumers are asking for it. There is a very strong trend in the search for companies that care about the environment and this movement ends up putting pressure on brand-owners to look for these solutions. But unfortunately, some of the big companies do not take responsibility for the impact of their packaging on the environment, even if on their website or on their social media there is what we can call greenwashing. 

What is the top priority of the brands you work with every day? Recyclability? Compost-ability? Plastic use? CO2 footprint?

When I present Made From Stone™ solutions to the brand-owners and companies transforming packaging, I usually see their eyes light up when I talk about the majority substitution of plastic for CaCO3. The first reaction is always one of surprise, and then I usually hear questions about the carbon footprint and water footprint. 

If you could pick a body of water anywhere in the world to spend time near, where would it be?   

It would (definitely) be on the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand. Crystal clear waters with simply beautiful landscapes, lots of green landscapes and lots of blue water. 

What new skill or hobby did you pick up during quarantine?      

I have taken great care of an area of 2,000 square meters, including planting several fruit trees, in my summer house two hours from São Paulo Capital. I really enjoy planting trees and taking care of them seeing it grow and bear fruit. 

Now that the world is preparing to re-open, what is the thing you’re most looking forward to?  

It would be great if people had a collective mindset thinking about the next generations. Societies made up of people with an altruistic mindset are always best. It would be great if people had a collective mindset thinking about the next one. Societies made up of people with an altruistic mindset are always best. Another thinking: because of the pandemic situation, many adopted the policy of “close the pocket” in relation to consumption, and this is justified by the lack of confidence in the pace of economic recovery. Most people here in Brazil think that the country will only recover in 2022 or even in 2023 and, in this moment of hopelessness, the recurrent idea among Brazilians is the desire to live abroad if they can afford it. It would be great if situations like this could be reversed.