In the heart of Altamira, a city often overshadowed by its reputation as the most deforested municipality in the Brazilian Amazon, a small backyard business is redefining the local economy. Alessandra Moreira, a former administrative assistant who turned to sustainable crafting as a means of healing from burnout and anxiety, founded Ecoplante. This innovative company transforms discarded paper scraps into handmade, seed-embedded sheets that can be planted after use to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
The process begins with collecting waste paper, which is shredded and blended into a pulp before being spread over mesh screens. Moreira and her team then hand-sprinkle seeds ranging from basil and arugula to daisies onto the wet fibers.
Once dried, the paper serves as a functional stationery product for wedding invitations, eco-friendly branding, and packaging. In August 2025, Ecoplante achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first stationery company in the state of Pará to be certified as a sustainable business.
Beyond common garden plants, Moreira is currently tackling the challenge of integrating native Amazonian vegetation into her products. While she has successfully produced paper embedded with jambu a local herb known for its unique mouth-numbing properties larger seeds from trees like the ipê proved too bulky for traditional paper sheets.
This led to her newest innovation: the plantable seed pencil. Instead of an eraser, the tip of the pencil contains a transparent capsule holding native seeds. When the pencil becomes too short to use, it can be planted directly into the ground to grow into a tree.
Ecoplante’s growth was accelerated through the “Sustenta e Inova” program, a European Union-funded initiative designed to foster green businesses in the Amazon. Experts believe such micro-enterprises are essential for the region’s bioeconomy, proving that the standing forest can be more profitable than land clearing.
Researchers note that for every real invested in bioeconomy activities in Pará, the potential return is significantly higher in terms of GDP and local wages. By providing an alternative to traditional logging and cattle ranching, Ecoplante is helping to inspire a new generation of Amazonian entrepreneurs to view the rainforest as an opportunity for restoration rather than a barrier to development.