Words by Smiley Team
Trees help us sustain life. They’re pretty vital to our planet, so the more that are planted, the better it is for the environment.
A study in 2019 found tree planting has “mind-blowing potential” to tackle the climate crisis. Trees draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere as they grow, and forests are also a rich habitat for wildlife.
Many businesses are well aware that there’s now a responsibility to be conscious about how they operate – because more people are likely to spend money if a company has an ethical and sustainable operation. That’s why many are planting trees when you make a purchase or use their services. Here are seven of them you should know about.
Ecosia is a search engine very much like Google – but with one difference: your searches will help plants trees in some of the harshest environments. The company plants trees where they are needed most, so the trees can benefit people, the environment and local economies. Ecosia uses the ad revenue from people’s searches to plant trees. It donates 80% of its profits to non-profit organisations that focus on reforestation. The site shows how many trees have been planted to date (more than 131 million, at the time of writing) and it goes up by the second. Find out more.
Trainhugger plants a tree in the UK every time you book a train ticket – 50p from every booking goes into a unique tree planting grant the company has set up with the Royal Forestry Society (RFS) and the Royal Scottish Forestry Society and helps grow healthy, resilient woodlands in the UK. And don’t worry, the price of the train tickets is said to cost the same as competitors, such as Trainline. The company is planting its first trees with the RFS in Hockeridge and Pancake Woods, about an hour’s train ride from London. Find out more.
With every bottle you buy from Sapling Spirits (specifically, vodka), a tree is planted. On each bottle, there’s a unique code which tells you what tree was planted where and a little about the planting project. You can also go on the “Tree Tracker” on the company’s website, where you enter your tree number and then can “find your tree” in the UK. Pretty handy, hey? Find out more.
Not only does this company support UK homegrown cider producers, for every cider box they sell on the website, they plant a tree which offsets their carbon emissions and goes to a brighter future for the planet. Their motto? Drink cider, plant trees. Find out more.
Leo’s Box is a beauty and skincare subscription service, which has boxes packed with natural and sustainably-made products. The boxes are made with recycled cardboard, and the company itself aligns with the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. Leo’s Box will also plant trees for every box you order, so you can save the planet while also looking wonderful. And for every three months that you order a box, they’ll plant another tree. Find out more.
The company seels reusable “happy” bottles with faces on them, which keeps your water cold for up to 24 hours or hot for 12 hours. They plant a tree for every bottle sold, and partner with Carbon Forest based in the north east of the UK. Find out more.
Creating 100% organic tote and travel bags, Vaughan and Unwin furthers its mission with its "Buy One, Plant One" promise. For each bag purchased, they donate a sapling on your behalf. The company works with TEMA Foundation (The Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats), and has created a Hope Forest of 3000 saplings in Edirne, Turkey, the country from which the cotton used to produce the bags originated. Find out more.
Image credit: DugDax / Shutterstock
