We plant one tree per Washo Box

Social and environmental responsibility are important to us at Washo. We are certified as a climate-neutral company, which means that we offset all of our CO2emissions. But that's not enough for us: with Washo, we want to make a conscious contribution to the future of the world.

That's why we plant a tree with the non-profit environmental organization Tree-Nation for every pack of Washo sold. So far, we have already planted over 15,000 trees - in just 4.5 months. Together, the trees offset 1700 tons of CO2emissions. Imagine that: To produce this amount of carbon dioxide, you could fly from Zurich to New York and back 850 times.

This is precisely why trees are so valuable to the planet. They fulfill an important function in the fight against climate change. However, that's not all, trees are one of the pillars that humans need for their existence in many respects.

Washo gets involved with Tree-Nation

Washo works with Tree-Nation to plant trees. When a customer buys a pack of Washo, they receive an email from Tree-Nation. On their website , customers can check the Washo profile to see what type of tree has been planted and what the surrounding area looks like. Commenting is also possible: When the mangrove was planted for our customer A. R., she wrote: "Thank you very much for the tree. May it grow long and strong!"

The non-profit organization Tree-Nation was founded in 2006. It all started with a single project in Niger, one of the driest and poorest countries in the world. Since then, Tree-Nation has planted well over 10 million trees, offsetting almost 1.5 billion CO2 . By comparison, Switzerland emitted CO2emissions amounting to 36.85 million tons in 2019. Almost 7000 companies and over 300,000 citizens have taken part since it was founded 15 years ago.

How trees benefit us

Mental health and livelihood

Dive in and relax - forest bathing has long been practised in Japan. It has been proven that trees have a positive effect on us. While the forest is a recreational area for us, for many people in developing countries it is their livelihood. It provides food, drinking water and work equipment.

Wasser

Water means life, without water nothing would work. This is especially true for the world's largest cities: around a third of metropolitan areas such as New York depend on protected forest areas for their drinking water. Trees are also extremely important in preventing flooding: When rain falls, it is filtered by the roots of the trees and thus slowed down. The water can gradually be absorbed by the soil.

Luft

Estimates say that an area of around 4000 square meters planted with trees produces the oxygen required by twelve people during a year. At the same time, the trees absorb harmful gases such as carbon dioxide or ozone.

On a hot day, it's best to lie under a tree. This is because trees shed water droplets from their leaves, which evaporate and cool the surroundings.

Tiere

Trees are not only of great importance to humans, they also provide a home and food for wildlife. Only six percent of the world's surface is covered by rainforest, but more than half of all animal and plant species live in it. The loss of a self-contained tropical rainforest would cause 100 species to become extinct every day. Not only mammals are in danger, but insects, which are so important for pollination, also like to live in trees.

Erdboden

The tsunami in 2004 showed it: Areas with intact mangroves were significantly less destroyed. Trees literally hold the soil together and protect it from erosion.

Tree photo created by wirestock - www.freepik.com