In 2021, K2 began supporting One Tree Planted, a non-profit organisation which makes it simple for anyone who wants to help with environmental issues by planting trees.
Established in 2014, One Tree Planted has now planted over 40 million trees in more than 45 countries across the globe. The charity splits its work out into projects, each of which has a different aim depending on regional requirements. For example, projects in Europe seek to re-establish woodland, improve water and soil quality, and create habitats for wildlife in areas that were historically forested. Projects in Asia, however, seek to rebuild the habitats of critically endangered species as well as create long-term jobs for communities so that people and forests can live together in harmony.
It is One Tree Planted’s commitment to understanding the area that they are working in and to engaging with the local community which initially captured our interest. There’s a whole world of difference between planting a tree and planting a tree sustainably. The latter requires research into the area – its climate, its history, its people – and the development of a programme of care which extends well beyond the initial planting phase. The level of care that One Tree Planted dedicates to these two elements, to sustainable reforestation, is the reason why we chose to support them.
K2 donates $200 per month to One Tree Planted. The charity plants one tree for every dollar donated: we began our monthly donations in July 2021 and so this means that to date, K2 have planted 3,800 trees! Recently, our sustainability assessment company EcoVadis have also partnered with One Tree Planted. They have pledged to plant one tree for every EcoVadis scorecard published: last year, they planted over 22,000 trees.
K2’s trees are planted in the Amazon Rainforest, the world’s largest rainforest ecosystem. Its 6.9 million square kilometres spans nine countries and holds an estimated 390 billion individual trees and 90 – 140 billion metric tons of carbon. Unfortunately, as a result of logging, unsustainable agriculture and forest fires, the Amazon Rainforest is a high-risk zone for both deforestation and degradation (the weakening of a forest’s ecosystem which compromises its integral qualities, e.g its ability to store carbon). Planting trees in the Amazon Rainforest helps to stabilise the climate by protecting and restoring primary forests, to preserve the habitats of the region’s iconic species, and to provide sustainable livelihoods for local people.
Whilst the contribution that we are making to reforestation within the Amazon Rainforest is but a drop in the ocean, we believe that doing something is better than doing nothing. An impact is still an impact, however small it may be, and we are proud that the trees we are planting will help to protect the region and its people.
Click HERE to find out more about One Tree Planted.
