Rubber tapper Rogerio Mendes shows off his Veja sneakers, received as a prize for his work as a young rubber extractor in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, Acre state, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. Veja, an expensive global sneaker brand, is producing sneaker soles made of native Brazilian Amazon rubber in collaboration with local rubber tappers cooperatives. "They are making young people come back. They rekindled the hope of working with rubber even if it is a work in progress," Mendes said. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
