On the path of climate positivity: one tree for each new customer
Every day, Growens makes small green actions for the environment, with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by offsetting its CO2 emissions. Today we take a step further on the path of climate positivity.
We recently launched an initiative aimed at making our website – and that of our business units – entirely carbon neutral. Today, on International Earth Day, we are proud to present, another Group-wide initiative – we will plant a tree for every new customer who chooses to rely on our services.
What does sustainability mean?
The 2030 UN Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals have pushed companies to think in a long-term perspective, encouraging sustainable development.
A sustainable approach starts with small daily actions concerning office life such as reducing the use of paper, making the most of digital devices, recycling and shutting down the computer when it is not used for a long period of time.
The first, universally recognized definition of sustainability dates back to 1987 when it appeared in the so-called Brundtland Report, titled “Our common future”. In this report, sustainability is identified as the condition of a development capable of “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs“.
Since sustainability is a condition, in order to be “sustainable” from an environmental point of view, it is not enough to perform a few single and sporadic actions towards the environment, but the attention and care for our planet must become a constant habit.
One Tree, One Customer project
Growens is committed to a daily comprehensive and strategic ESG (environmental, social, governance) approach.
The goal is not limited to offsetting the CO2 emissions of all the Group’s Business Units, but goes further.Growens wants to proactively contribute to the well-being of the planet, while ensuring complete transparency on the impacts it has.
This is the reason why Growens has chosen to plant a tree for every new customer, in collaboration with Tree-Nation.
The process is very simple: as soon as one of the services offered by any of the Growens Business Units is purchased, the new customer receives an invitation via email to plant their tree.
This way, they will be able to know the exact location of their tree and its species.
The Growens forest
All new trees will help grow the Growens forest, born in 2020 and constantly expanding ever since. Today it includes 1749 trees, mainly located in Kenya and Nepal.
Over the years, the impact of our trees has made it possible to offset 594.54 tons of CO2.
Why planting trees?
Planting trees is a gesture of respect, gratitude and love both towards our planet and towards ourselves.
By planting trees, we perform an action of great importance: trees do not “only” help to absorb CO2 emissions, but contribute to the creation of better ecosystem services, essential for human health and the prevention of diseases and psycho-physical degradation.
For instance, trees help to:
- Purify the air. Trees have the ability to purify the city’s air through the foliage and the bark roughness. They are perfect allies in the fight against fine dust, becoming indispensable in heavily polluted cities and along busy roads.
- Purify the water. Some plants are used for the phytodepuration process, which is a natural purification method of waste water. The polluting elements are absorbed by the plants which will return good quality water.
- Protect the soil. Trees protect the soil and reduce hydraulic risk. The roots of the trees consolidate the soil, preventing landslides, avalanches and erosion while the foliage retains the rain and reduces its force, increasing the time it takes for the water to reach the receiving stream. By storing water, the trees strengthen resistance to drought and, by mitigating the conditions of excessive heat during the summer season, they prevent the risk of fires.
- Increase the psycho-physical well-being of man. A recent German study has proved how daily contact with trees in the street may significantly reduce the risk of depression and the need for antidepressants. Researchers have shown the correlation between green areas near home and good mental health.
Wrap up
People and the environment greatly benefit from trees, as explained above. Trees are essential for the protection of the planet and it is important that their value is recognized.
Growens understands their value and is actively committed to supporting reforestation in different areas of the planet. The Growens forest will continue to grow day by day and will offset more and more CO2 emissions.
To learn more about Growens’ initiatives related to sustainability, you can refer to the latest Sustainability Report.
Article by Elisa Battigelli
Junior Corporate Communications Specialist, Growens
