Inspired by the passionate speeches and hard-hitting messages of last month’s COP26, we are proud to share we have joined the Woodland Trust’s Carbon Balanced programme by pledging to plant four oak trees a month in the UK, to offset our carbon emissions.

WLT is an international conservation charity founded in 1989 to protect the world’s most biologically significant and threatened habitats, acre by acre. It launched its Carbon Balanced programme in 2005, responding to the growing need for businesses to mitigate their impact on the environment while recognising the role WLT-funded projects fulfil as a natural climate solution.

For over 15 years, WLT has played an important role for businesses large and small on the path to positive environmental action and a sustainable future. Since the outset of the Carbon Balanced programme, more than 610,000 tonnes of carbon have been offset through its projects – that’s over £2.5 million of conservation funding!

How does planting trees help?

Trees are natural carbon absorbers, they use carbon dioxide to build their trunks, branches, roots, and leaves, which helps to clean the air. It has been reported that one mature oak tree can absorb up to 48lbs per year! And of course, there are many more benefits associated with more trees, including:

• Holding the soil together
• Providing habitat for wildlife,
• Regulating the planet’s temperature

Founder Lorraine Calcott commented, “This is something that I have been hoping to restart for a long while. It is all too easy to get bogged down in life’s everyday business and forget what we are all working for. COP26 helped a lot of people to refocus and see the bigger picture. As the demand for climate action grows throughout society, we see this as a positive step forward for our company. The Woodland Trust is a wonderful organisation that is helping communities to do right by our planet, and we look forward to working alongside them to do our bit.”

For those interested in offsetting their own carbon do visit > https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/support-us/give/personal-carbon/ to learn more