Growing trees remotely: a high-impact, sustainable solution for business

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Courtesy of Treedom (Courtesy of Treedom)

Treedom is a Business Reporter client

Research shows that a significant proportion of the population places the responsibility for achieving sustainability goals firmly on businesses. Today, companies are beginning to understand just how crucial it is to respond to that expectation.

But finding a meaningful way to contribute that fits neatly into existing business operations and manages to inspire customers, clients and employees is a complicated task.

It’s often the case that well-meaning sustainable initiatives fall flat. Companies try to do everything in-house without leveraging the correct partnership. Some lack clear ownership or become tick-box exercises that sit in a siloed part of the business or are placed at the bottom of the to-do list for busy staff. Others simply fail to resonate with stakeholders – forgettable, generic gestures that neither foster connection nor lead to long-lasting value for the business.

So when choosing a partner with which to make a sustainable commitment, companies need to ask some vital questions: is this project able to bring about real impact? Will it stand up to scrutiny? And when satisfied on those counts, how effectively can this initiative communicate the company’s values? Is it an interesting conversation-starter? Will the investment lead to a strong sense of shared achievement?

Treedom’s proposition gives a resounding yes to each of those questions. Through a unique digital tree-planting platform, companies can invest in a branded “forest” of trees, which are planted by project partners in sustainable agroforestry systems across Africa, Latin America and Asia, and monitor their impact online from anywhere in the world. The impacts are long-lasting and wide-ranging.

The necessity of trees for the planet is already well known. They absorb CO2 which helps to cool the climate and prevent floods, droughts and heatwaves. They foster biodiversity, create habitats for wildlife, enrich the soil with nutrients which boosts the health of other plants and crops. The list goes on.

Of course, none of these benefits can be achieved if the trees themselves don’t grow successfully. The sense of urgency in the market has meant that some tree-planters focus too heavily on numbers and scale, whereas Treedom places that focus on its methodology: growing trees that thrive, through a model that brings about not just environmental benefits, but social benefits too.

Treedom’s projects have a long-term impact on the communities it works with. Crop-yielding trees provide nutrition, food security and a source of income for the farmers that grow the trees. With an eye on long-term, sustainable impact, Treedom provides local farmers with training, technical support and education about sustainable practices: knowledge that can be passed on for generations long after their programme has finished.

Treedom’s overall mission is to empower these communities, and by using a holistic, strategic approach, Treedom contributes to 11 of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), working to reduce poverty, hunger and inequality as well as combat climate change.

As a way of bringing about responsible change, Treedom is extremely effective. So far, it has planted close to 3.5 million trees in 18 countries, involving more than 200,000 beneficiaries – smallholder farmers, nursery employees and project managers. There are more than one million users on the Treedom platform. It’s working.

But what makes the model meaningful for the businesses that invest? This is where Treedom’s unique digital platform comes into its own.

Every tree in a company’s “forest” can be presented as an individual gift to clients, employees or customers – demonstrating the company’s commitment to sustainability at the same time as sending warm wishes on a special occasion, launching a product or offering congratulations on an achievement.

What’s more, this is not a one-off communication. Each tree has its own individual page on the platform, directly linked to the company’s forest page, where regular stories about the tree’s project and its ongoing impact are posted. The tree’s photograph and geotag, part of a robust transparent system, are posted here too. Through these ongoing updates, recipients of a tree remain connected and engaged – to the tree, to its impact and to the values of the company that gifted it.

The result can be a boost to client relations, customer experience or staff loyalty, a feel-good experience that creates a sense of shared achievement for everyone involved.

Treedom offers bespoke support to each company that invests, tailoring communication packages to meet a variety of goals. Whether a company is starting from scratch, or already has a clear idea of what it needs, Treedom supplies tried and tested materials to seamlessly integrate with the company’s brand and existing channels, making sure the message lands with the target audience.

Companies play a vital role in the transformation to a more sustainable future. By growing trees with Treedom, they can make an investment that demonstrates their commitment to doing so, in a way that brings clients, customers and employees along on the journey.

Originally published on Business Reporter