Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A football club Fluminense has extended its shirt sponsorship deal with Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica, a non-governmental organisation that seeks to preserve the heritage of the Mata Atlântica rainforest.
The new three-year deal will run until the end of the 2019 season.
The foundation’s branding will continue to feature on the shirts of Fluminense’s first team, as well as the women’s volleyball and American football sides.
As part of the deal, 25,000 trees will be planted in the rainforest, which stretches across southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Fluminense said it would earn a credit of 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide to offset greenhouse gas emissions.
The foundation will also give presentations to club officials and employees to highlight the benefits of environmental preservation.
Fluminense’s president of the board, Pedro Abad, said: “Sustainability generates many benefits and cannot be disregarded. Fluminense is proud to contribute to a theme so relevant to our society.”
Marcia Hirota, executive director of the foundation, added: “For SOS Mata Atlântica, the partnership with Fluminense is very strategic, as we can reach a large audience and get the message out regarding the importance of the forest to our life – how to guarantee water in quantity and quality and also regulate our climate.
“The Mata Atlântica is the richest but most threatened forest in the country. There remain only 12.5 per cent of its original area, which makes recovery and conservation urgent issues.”