NOUS Ecossistema
We are thrilled to announce our newest addition to the Ethical Agency Alliance: NOUS Ecossistema.
A Brazil-based Creative Studio, NOUS Ecossistema uses creativity to imagine and build futures where circularity and nature are at the center. Their work spans regenerative design, community-focused projects, and innovative solutions that respect the cycles of life, all while aligning economic viability with sustainability. Beyond client work, NOUS Ecossistema develops proprietary initiatives, from a marketplace supporting products of the Brazilian Cerrado to an AI platform inspired by biomimetics. Passion, purpose, and planet-positive thinking drive everything they do.
Find out more: https://nousecos.com
Below, read the interview with Rauf Souto Benévolo Abbud, Operations Director of NOUS Ecossistema👇
What does creativity for good look like to you?
Creativity for good is the ability to imagine and build futures where circularity and nature are at the center. It is about using innovation not only to solve immediate problems, but to regenerate systems, strengthen communities, and create solutions that respect the cycles of life. Creativity for good means aligning our imagination with the purpose of living in harmony with the planet, inspiring changes that are both sustainable and transformative.
How do you drive change in your work?
Here at NOUS, we promote change by working with initiatives that connect with the planet’s needs in an objective way. Our clients range from a company that is rethinking how to regenerate Brazilian biomes and how to integrate traditional communities into this process in a sustainable and economically viable way, to a nationwide organization that works to strengthen micro and small entrepreneurs, who often come from the more vulnerable classes of our society.
What are some examples of creativity being used to drive climate action that inspire you?
This client of ours, a company called VerdeNovo, is not only a client but also a great source of inspiration. The way they rethink the regeneration of biomes across the country is brilliant, and their ability to engage the peoples living in these biomes—without exploiting or trying to colonize them—is truly moving.
When and how did you have the 'aha'-moment to transition your agency to focus on sustainability?
I’m not sure this moment really existed, actually. Because even before founding NOUS, sustainability was already an important cause for the company’s partners. So I can say that sustainability has always been in our DNA.
But if I had to choose an “aha” moment, I would say it was when we started realizing that our business is economically viable, that is, when we began to find clients whose purposes and projects aligned with similar causes.
What is your biggest challenge as an Ethical Agency?
Our biggest challenge at the moment is growing. In Brazil, the sustainability agenda is still a shaky ground. It’s either greenwashing or relevant only to organizations that are still in the early stages of development. Therefore, our challenge has been to find partners, projects, and clients that help us grow, become more economically sustainable, and generate a greater positive impact.
Why did you join our Ethical Agency Alliance?
We are joining Ethical Agency precisely to grow. To gain another relevant certification and acquire new skills that will allow us to deliver more value and create greater impact in our work.
Additionally, we are beginning the internationalization of our brand. We believe that being part of Ethical Agency will be important for this stage.
What do you believe needs to change for the creative industry to be a real force for good?
I’ll speak from the Brazilian context, which is what I know best.
For me, what’s missing is conviction, courage, and sacrifice. I see many people in the creative field with strong and appealing messages, but since it is still financially difficult to sell “for good” projects in Brazil, when the bills arrive, these people end up working on projects that are not “for good.”