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With increasing wildfires, droughts and failed reforestation projects around the world, fashion brands are paying more attention to their involvement in reforestation projects. Fashion brands Karyuma and Tentri are working with local communities to reduce related risks and develop plans.
Forestry and tree-planting projects are a way for brands in the fashion industry to get involved in offsetting their carbon footprint, with varying results. Since most of the carbon cannot be absorbed until the tree is fully grown, the effect may not be tangible for 20 years, so the “we planted a tree” link can be misleading to consumers. However, participating in projects that focus on improving biodiversity in areas affected by deforestation and wildfires can be beneficial in collaboration with local communities.
Four-year-old Kariuma, meanwhile, plants two trees for every pair of shoes sold, while 10-year-old outdoor clothing brand Tentri similarly plants ten trees for every product sold. Tentri was one of the first brands to introduce afforestation efforts and has now planted 80 million trees, while Kariuma has planted 1.1 million. Fashion brands like Pangaya and Gani also contribute to reforestation programs.
Since 2020, Cariuma has been running its Brazilian reforestation project with local groups from Cepan, a Brazilian non-governmental organization focused on ecosystem restoration. The company plants its trees in over 60% of Brazil’s native rainforest. The area has lost more than 87 percent of its forest cover to deforestation.
David Python, founder and CEO of Kariuma, said the company took the time to work with local indigenous communities to ensure they understood what was needed to scale up the effort. “Not only are we growing trees that make an impact, but we’re also growing our relationship with the local community,” Pittin said. “Our mantra is ‘do first, talk later’. It took us a year from the time we started before we got out and told the story.
Meanwhile, Tentri has partnered with NGOs such as Eden Redevelopment, Plant with Purpose and Trees for the Future to plant trees in more than 14 countries around the world. The company focuses on two types of tree planting: agroforestry, where farmers in countries like Senegal and Malawi are encouraged to plant forest gardens on their land, and reforestation in the US and Madagascar.
In October 2020, Tentri came out with a tree-tracking app called Impact Wallet, which allows consumers to view a virtual island with planted trees — depending on the clothing collection, the type of tree. And in April this year, Tentri introduced Veritri, a blockchain-based B2B solution for tree planting and monitoring.
“There’s a lot of people who come in. [reforestation] Because there’s a fun marketing element to it and a compelling story to tell consumers,” said Derek Emsley, founder and CEO of Tentri. “You’re not wrong, planting trees is one of the most practical and impactful solutions we have to climate change. It’s not a silver bullet, but it’s a valuable tool in our toolkit. But the only way [it’s impactful] Done right, in a way that ensures transparency, sustainability, real community-based impact and the right incentive structures.
Elise van Miedelem, founder of Suji’s tree-planting app, says engaging in biodiversity and creating self-sustaining forests should be a priority for tree-planting brands. “Monoculture tree planting can cause more harm than good to the local ecosystem. Tree planting alone – if you can’t monitor it and if you don’t do soil evaluation and proper species selection – is not the answer to building biodiversity and restoring the web of life. Using the SUGI Miyawaki method, soil preparation and Dense planting is used to simulate how a forest would grow without human intervention by planting in a small area.
Brands should focus on projects that allow time for specific plants, seed collection and community engagement, Python said. Kariuma’s reforestation efforts use direct seeding, a time-consuming process that involves mixing more than 30 seed species in a given soil to increase a tree’s chance of survival.
“The future of business is not sustainable. If the sustainability of recovery is a little bad, the future of business should do better,” he said.
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