The concrete jungle of São Paulo in Brazil – home to around 20 million people – might sound like an unlikely home for a rainforest.

But if you venture out to our Maua facility, you’ll find that it sits within the Tangará Reserve. Since 2007, we’ve been restoring 70 hectares of the reserve to native woodland in an effort to safeguard the fragile ecosystem.

Our Decorative Paints business has so far planted more than 12,000 seedlings of species native to the region and studies have shown that the rainforest is starting to thrive again as non-native species are gradually being replaced.  

Another indication of the positive impact the long-term project is having is the fact that 78 species of birds have been found in the 70 hectares that are being restored.

This is a particularly important development, because in mid-2022, one bird in particular sent all of Brazil into a frenzy of excitement. Having been extinct in the wild for more than two decades, the stunning blue Spix’s macaw was reintroduced from captivity (to its natural home in the caatinga, a tropical dry forest in north eastern Brazil). It’s all part of a captive breeding and reintroduction program that’s set to take place over the next 20 years.

At AkzoNobel, we joined in the celebrations to mark the return of the beloved parrot – regarded by many as a national symbol of Brazil. As well as supplying paint for various murals, our coatings were used to create a special livery for Azul Airlines. We also worked with various partners to raise awareness about the importance of preserving Brazilian biodiversity.

They called it South America’s most colorful plane – and we weren’t going to disagree!

This Azul Airlines Embraer 195 E2 was given a very special livery to pay tribute to the Spix’s macaw – which has been reintroduced to Brazil after being extinct in the wild for more than two decades.

Our Coral brand partnered with Aerospace Coatings colleagues to work with Azul Airlines and Embraer to work on the stunning livery. It was designed by Luiz Pardal, a São Paulo graffiti artist and features three blue macaws on each side of the fuselage. There are 58 colors, half of which were custom made.

The work was completed in ten days at Embraer’s facilities in São José dos Campos. And, despite the complexity of the colors, the total weight of the paint used was around the same as that of more conventional liveries.

As well as marking the return of the Spix’s macaw, the livery is also an invitation for people to reflect on the importance of preserving biodiversity.

To celebrate the reintroduction of the Spix’s macaw, children in Brazil were treated to the launch of a special animated short film – which also aimed to highlight the importance of protecting the bird’s natural habitat.

Developed through a partnership involving AkzoNobel, Azul Airlines and aircraft manufacturer Embraer, the 11-minute film was by directed by Eduardo Padrão and was based on the work of Victor Flores.

It follows the adventures of Tita and her friends Timbum (the painter fish) and Dudé (the adventurous goat), who discover that a transport box carrying Spix's macaws from Europe to Brazil has been mysteriously stolen. So they decide to investigate.

To help bring the story to life, our Coral brand turned the color palette used in the film into a special paint range, which was made available in stores.

The animated short was released in June 2022 – the day before the macaws started to be reintroduced to their natural habitat, and was also shown on board all Azul flights.

A striking mural was painted in downtown São Paulo to mark the return of the Spix’s macaw to its homeland in Brazil.

Created by local artist Luiz Pardal – who used our Coral paints – the vibrant artwork has brought a dazzling splash of color to its urban surroundings.

“I feel honored to have done this painting in my own city, which is a place that I love,” said Pardal. “I’ve had the opportunity to talk to several people, who thanked us for adding some color to the neighborhood.

“The main message of this work is freedom, the preservation of the environment and the celebration of the return of the macaws to Brazil. I’m very grateful to be a part of this.”

Our Coral brand donated 104 liters of paint for the “Let’s Colour” project, which saw Pardal receive help from three volunteer painters, as well Coral’s technical expert, Roger da Silva.