Oxitec Announces Partnership with Ecolab to Join its Distribution Network of Friendly™ Aedes in Brazil
Oxitec Announces Partnership with Ecolab to Join its Distribution Network of Friendly™ Aedes in Brazil
This new partnership will expand the distribution of Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti product, known as Aedes do Bem™ in Brazil, to all states in Brazil and in both public and private markets.
Ecolab joins eleven other distribution partners that are deploying Friendly™ Aedes aegypti throughout the country to governments, communities, and some of Brazil’s largest employers.
New solutions for the Aedes aegypti mosquito are urgently needed at a time when the country has just registered a 47% increase in the number of dengue cases compared to the previous year.
The Friendly™ Aedes aegypti product launched commercially in 2021, serving households, communities, and businesses nationwide, and Oxitec is now making the product available in all states in Brazil.
Campinas, 11/05/2023 - Oxitec Ltd, the leading developer of insect-based biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock, announced today a new business partnership with the pest control division of the industry leader Ecolab to distribute its biological solution to control Aedes aegypti in Brazil. Ecolab will make the Friendly™ Aedes aegypti products available to city governments, businesses, communities, and households in all States of Brazil, meeting their need for a safe, effective, and environmentally friendly solution to target females of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
After a successful beta launch in 2021, Oxitec launched Friendly™ Aedes aegypti nationally in October 2022, working with select distribution partners to serve a range of customers in each of the country's regions. Existing customers include Petrobras, Siemens Energy, Stellantis, Quinto Andar, O Boticário, Bom Bril, Globo Media Studios and MRV, among a range of other large-scale employers and brands.
“Aedes do Bem™ was received with joy and enthusiasm everywhere we deployed it, mainly because it is an incredibly effective and easy-to-use solution. The mosquito that transmits so many dangerous viral diseases has been a difficult-to-control public health threat for a long time, and our partnership with Ecolab will expand the impact we can have by making this technology available in all parts of Brazil.”, comments Natalia Verza Ferreira, General Director of Oxitec do Brasil. “We are uniting companies, public authorities and the end users in support of this cause, and we are already seeing a very positive impact as a result of the adoption of the solution in communities throughout Brazil”, Natalia completes.
“Ecolab's purpose is to promote a cleaner, safer and healthier world by protecting people and vital resources. We are global leaders in sustainability and, therefore, seeking solutions that are safe for people and the environment is part of our strategy and our competitive edge. The partnership with Oxitec increased our portfolio of innovations. We have more than 250 specialists who will offer the necessary capacity to deliver Aedes do Bem™ throughout the country”, clarifies Luis Montagner, leader of Ecolab's Pest Control division for Brazil.
“Oxitec’s Friendly™ Aedes aegypti has been received as an incredibly simple, effective and easy-to-use solution for controlling the mosquito that transmits so many dangerous viral diseases and is a difficult-to-control public health threat. Our partnership with Ecolab will amplify our impact in making this technology available in all parts of Brazil”, said Natália Ferreira, Oxitec Brazil’s Director.
In 2022, Brazil recorded 1,016 confirmed deaths from dengue, 400% higher than the previous year. 2023 is following the same pattern, a result of the heavy rains and flooding episodes that ended up hatching egg banks all at once. In the first quarter of the year the country registered 173 deaths caused by dengue – 2 per day, according to a release from the Ministry of Health.
Grey Frandsen, Oxitec’s CEO, says “As we prepared to launch Friendly™ Aedes aegypti in Brazil, we looked for partners to distribute our products nationally that shared the same commitment to delivering a positive impact with sustainable solutions while building trust with customers and the communities we seek to serve. Ecolab has demonstrated a solid alignment with our mission and principles, and I am thrilled to welcome them onboard.”
Oxitec’s just-add-water product produces non-biting Friendly™ male mosquitoes over time, which mate with invasive, biting Aedes aegypti females. Their female offspring cannot survive, which means fewer biting female mosquitoes in the following generations. In urban pilots in the city of Indaiatuba, deployments of the Friendly™ Aedes aegypti in densely populated communities led to up to 96% suppression of Aedes aegypti populations. This Friendly™ product technology controls the pest mosquito without harming beneficial species like bees and butterflies.
About Oxitec
Oxitec is the leading developer of biological solutions to control pests that transmit disease, destroy crops and harm livestock. Founded in 2002 at the University of Oxford, Oxitec is led by a passionate team comprised of 15 nationalities and is supported by world-class public, private and non-profit partners. More at oxitec.com.
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