As global spending on eCommerce around the world speeds past the $5 Trillion dollar mark, so does the overall footprint of the industry. From carbon emission offsetting to giving back to local Indigenous communities, there are a number of reasons that your business should start planting trees. Oh, and why not do it with our partner JUST ONE Tree?
Why Plant Trees? A Non-Exhaustive List
1) Off-Set Carbon Emissions:
This one is pretty obvious but it's just as important as ever. With eCommerce growing exponentially so is its carbon footprint. From the manufacturing, packaging, and shipping footprint (not to mention the footprint associated with returning items). The carbon footprint of eCommerce has never been higher. Trees act as an efficient mechanism to offset carbon emissions. By absorbing carbon dioxide via photosynthesis trees also create the oxygen we need to breathe.
One tree can offset a literal ton of CO2 over its lifetime, and when you plant enough it will continue to grow and reproduce, offsetting more and more carbon with each passing year.
2) Remove Dangerous Pollutants From Our Air
More than just CO2, tree planting can help remove harmful pollutants like sulphur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide from the air we breathe. These pollutants are incredibly harmful to our health, and can literally be seen on a smoggy day. Each year in the UK, around 40,000 deaths are attributable to exposure to outdoor air pollution according to a study by The Royal College of Physicians in 2016.
3) Prevent Soil Erosion
When a forest is clearcut, root systems will often be removed in the process. Without these root systems, heavy rainfall will erode the soil leading to landslides and removing any high-quality soil from the area.
The landslides are dangerous, and the loss of nutrients prevents trees from growing back naturally. These barren areas are unable to keep water and nutrients and will ultimately turn into desserts.
4) They Provide Homes for Species Helping With Biodiversity
Various birds and animals live under the shade and structure of the trees. When trees are planted, it benefits every species in the ecosystem from the bugs living in the roots to the birds up in the trees and everything in between.
5) A Source Of Food and Medicine
Trees are a source of food for all of us in the UK, but there are many communities that rely on trees for more than food.
Indigenous communities across the planet rely on trees to provide many vital and life-saving medicines and remedies essential for survival.
6) Trees Reduce Stress
Time amongst trees decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases people's sense of wellbeing. Time spent in nature has a major impact on mental health, but even looking at pictures of trees can make a noticeable difference.
7) Increase Your Property Value
The variety of trees and other green elements play a vital role in creating a scenic landscape for us. In fact, a series of international third-party studies have shown that trees increase property prices between 5% to 18%.
Can you guess which half of the image below is the wealthier neighbourhood?
Global and local communities are becoming more aware of how their social and economic practices impact their surroundings and what they can do to minimise the damage caused to them. The growing retail industry has seen a developing inclination to contribute to society by partnering with charities and not-for-profit organisations like ‘JUST ONE Tree’.
What Is JUST ONE Tree?
They are a wonderful organisation founded by Amanda Bronkhorst. With the initial goal of planting 1 million trees (which has since been smashed), it all started with a simple Facebook post that turned into £90, which then turned into 90 trees planted.
Thanks to the hard work of the team at JUST ONE Tree and some great partnerships (including one with Pledger), the organisation has managed to plant over 1.6million trees across 4 continents. Planting destinations include; Madagascar, Mozambique, Indonesia, Nepal, Kenya, and Zambia.
But the tree planting efforts are not limited to corporate partnerships. Nearly 200,000 of the trees planted to date have been the work of children across the UK taking part in JUST ONE Tree Day annually on the 14th of October (September 31st in Scotland).
How Can Our Business Plant Trees?
Tree Planting has always been an integral part of humanity. However, given that many people and businesses are based in urban areas, the act of planting trees is not as accessible as it once was. Retailers and other businesses looking to offset their carbon footprints as part of their CSR strategy cannot simply go outside and start planting trees in every green space they see. Thankfully, there are various non-profit initiatives and NGOs that have made this action possible. If you are an online retailer, we highly recommend that you check out the Virtue App and start giving back from your e-commerce store. We already have a number of great retailers supporting JUST ONE Tree directly on our platform.
If you would like to get involved directly with JUST ONE Tree you can do so by checking out their website here or contacting them directly at hello@justonetree.life
