An innovative new vehicle created by Honda in partnership with Ogilvy Peru aims to combat deforestation while easing the workload of local workers in the Amazon.

Every year, more than one million trees are indiscriminately felled in the Peruvian Amazon because of the harvest of a rainforest fruit known as aguaje. The fruits grow on palm trees that are usually up to 35 meters high, making them very difficult to reach.

Ogilvy worked with Honda to invent a "Vertical Bike" that carries farmers up the trees, eliminating the need to cut them down. The machines took over a year to develop, involving multiple trips into the specific region of the Amazon where the trees grow. What resulted was a bike light enough for the harvesters to take into the jungle with them, even while dealing with unpredictable weather.

Honda and Ogilvy worked with the Parinaris community to create six prototypes. The community is made up of more than 150 aguaje workers. They were able to take turns in rotation using the Vertical Bike, making their harvesting more efficient and allowing them to spend more time with their families. Ogilvy is also talking to different institutions to develop the bike at scale and thus be able to distribute it in more communities within the Peruvian Amazon.

"Vertical Bike is a unique creation that stems from our commitment to protect of our land," said Yasu Arakaki, chief creative officer of Ogilvy Peru, in a statement. "This machine allows to climb the 35 meters of the palm tree in just 30 seconds, it is easy to transport through the jungle and has the capacity to support up to 90 kg."

“We have been working on this project for a long time since there were many variables that appeared along the way," added Juan Pablo Álvarez, chief creative officer of Ogilvy Andina. "We are very proud about the final result; everything was worth it. At Ogilvy we believe in the integral creative role of an agency, where developing innovations, prototypes, products, and learning from those experiences gives new capabilities to the team. We are very grateful to Honda for their support in this initiative and to the Parinaris community for giving us the opportunity to contribute to the solution of a problem that is so important for them."