Boomera materials engineer and founder Henrique Guilherme Brammer Jr., 42, is the champion of the 15th edition of the Social Entrepreneur Award, announced on Monday night (4) at the Porto Seguro Theater in São Paulo.
Launched 15 years ago by Folha in partnership with the Schwab Foundation, a sister organization of the World Economic Forum, the award is the largest socio-environmental entrepreneurship contest in Latin America and one of the most important in the world.
The trophy was presented by Patrícia Ellen, Secretary of Economic Development of the State of São Paulo, and a Schwab representative at the ceremony.
"I dedicate this prize to the (trash collection) cooperatives, who are represented here by (Telines Basílio do Nascimento Jr) and have had their lives transformed through the trash," said the Brammer as he lifted the trophy." Today there are thousands of people who live on it with a smile on their faces. We are impacted by what these people can do with so little, and they literally help clean this country."
Brammer created Boomera to value and revive waste that usually ended up in landfills through research and development, product design, and reverse logistics.
The circular economy business brings together industry, academia, and environmental agents to recycle difficult waste and turn it into raw material or new products.
The São Paulo engineer competed for the category with Alcione Albanesi, 57, founder of Amigos do Bem, and Thomaz Srougi, 43, creator of dr.consulta.
MISSION
In his opening speech, Folha Managing Editor Sérgio Dávila defended the importance of the award, which allows the team to dive into the universe of social entrepreneurship.
For him, this mission demonstrates that professional journalism helps promote change. Folha highlights NGOs and social businesses visible that transform the Brazilian reality in education, health, environment, human development, and inclusion.
"This mission becomes more relevant at a time when society and the pillars of modern democratic coexistence, such as human rights, freedom of expression and the free press, are under heavy attack," said the journalist. "It is the function of a prize like the Social Entrepreneur and a newspaper like Folha de S.Paulo to defend these values at all costs. They form what Otavio Frias Filho, founder of Projeto Folha, called enlightenment values."
OTHER WINNERS
Also announced on Monday night were the winners of the Future Social Entrepreneur Award, the Grão Trophy, and the Reader's Choice.
In the Future category, aimed at leaders up to 35 years of age leading initiatives in development, the champion was Gustavo Glasser, 35, founder of Carambola.
Created in 2013, the Carambola combines education, technology, and social inclusion in vocational training programs aimed at increasing diversity in IT companies.
In its second edition, the Grão Trophy - aimed at leaders of nonprofit social impact organizations - was awarded to Adriana Barbosa, 42, founder of Feira Preta and PretaHub.
A black woman from a matriarchal and entrepreneurial family, the paulistana created PretaHub, a platform of black inventiveness and creativity that develops the largest festival of culture and entrepreneurship aimed at people of African descent in Latin America, the Preta Feira.
Amigos do Bem won the readers' poll, sponsored by the Banco do Brasil Foundation. Alcione Albanesi, 57, founded Amigos do Bem. She received 69% of the nearly 1.5 million votes cast.
Since 1993, the Albanesi-led social impact organization and business has helped more than 75,000 people in the Brazilian hinterlands through income-generating programs, replacement of unhealthy housing, improved education and health, and professionalization.
In this 15th edition in Brazil, the Social Entrepreneur Award is sponsored by Coca-Cola, IEL, an initiative of CNI (National Confederation of Industry), and Banco do Brasil Foundation. It has the support of the Porto Seguro Institute. British Council, Faap, Dom Cabral Foundation, Insper, and UOL are strategic partners.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon