Natural Earth Project
We care deeply about the planet and creating a business that gives back to nature. That’s why we have partnered with One Tree Planted to plant a tree for every product sold, whether online or in retail stores.
Trees clean our air and water, create habitats for biodiversity, contribute to our health and well-being, and create jobs for social impact. We’re honoured to have reforestation as an integral part of our business model.
Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity. They also provide jobs to over 1.6 billion people, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, and are key ingredients in 25% of all medicines.
Where We Plant
The largest halophytic mangrove forest in the world, the Sunderbans, or “beautiful forest”, is a World Heritage Site shared by India and Bangladesh. The Indian part of the Sundarbans ecosystem consists of 102 islands, 54 of which are inhabited. The inhabited islands are protected by a centuries-old system of ring embankments that extend over 3500 km.
Capable of sequestering 10x more carbon than terrestrial ecosystems, mangrove forests like the Sunderbans are at the front line of climate change. But their contributions don’t stop there - they also provide vital habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species (including the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger), shield vulnerable coastal communities from the devastating effects of sea level rise and storm surges, and prevent erosion and coastal degradation by holding the soil in place via their intricate root systems.
Today this vital ecosystem is under threat from the relentless expansion of non-forest land use into mangrove forest areas, mostly for fishery and farming. This degradation is amplified by climate change, which brews near-constant cyclones and storms in the region—resulting in huge losses of forest cover.
One Tree Planted aims to reforest up to 10,000 hectares of mudflats and deforested lands by planting 1.5 million mangrove trees. This project will enhance biodiversity for marine life, establish ecosystem functions, limit coastal and island erosion, and shield vulnerable communities from high winds and waves. It will also help to protect the long-term livelihoods of local communities. And even better, it will help the region to address and adapt to climate change impacts like ongoing sea-level rise and a predicted increase in storms, wind, and cyclone intensity.
Planting efforts mainly focus on the hardy Black Mangrove. At the upper sites, which are more soil-stabilised, Sonneratia Apetala and other species will be planted. Both have lateral roots, which will help to lower tidal currents substantially. Some trees will be seeded directly, while others will be raised in nurseries until they are strong enough to withstand natural conditions. These seedlings and seeds, which drop from mature trees and flow along the tides from June-October, are collected by trained seed collectors and are uniquely able to tolerate the varying pressures of growing up in an inter-tidal zone.
In 2019, One Tree Planted planted 100,000 mangrove trees in the Sundarbans of West Bengal, India. In 2020, together, we plan to multiply that number by 15, restoring 1.5 million mangroves to this vital ecosystem!