We just donated 3,105 trees to a national park in Indonesia – thanks to our customers
Yes, that’s right! To celebrate the International Day of Forests we launched a campaign aimed at raising funds for planting several hectares of forest in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia. And now we are proud to announce that we have donated 3,105 trees – the equivalent of five hectares!
We chose to donate five trees for every customer that places an order in the week leading up to the International Day of Forests (21 March). And we want to say thank you for the overwhelming support. So many customers placed an order, and we got so many positive messages and comments on Social Media. We literally couldn’t have done this without our loyal customer base. But why did we chose to plant the trees in Indonesia?
“Indonesia’s forests are home to countless species found nowhere else. So, naturally, reforestation in this region is a cause that Westpack has close to its heart”, Westpack’s CEO Morten Dalsgaard explains.
A significant part of our production takes place at our Danish headquarter, but we also import from Asia, including Indonesia.
“Since we began importing from Indonesia in 2015, we have had a partnership with One Tree Planted, who are restoring forests around the world. We decided to plant one tree for each container foot of products we brought home from Indonesia.”
- Morten Dalsgaard
Until recently, the trees have been planted in Borneo, but now the project has been completed, and we wanted to support another great project in Sumatra. To hit the ground running with the new project, we launched a campaign in conjunction with the International Day of Forests. And the result speaks for itself.
According to One Tree Planted, the trees will help serve as an important refuge for critically endangered species such as the Sumatran orangutan, the Sumatran tiger, and the Sumatran elephant.
In other words: if you placed a Westpack order in the week leading up to the International Day of Forests, you can now say that you helped donate 5 trees to the Bukit Tigapuluh National Park.
Bukit Tigapuluh National Park: a refuge for endangered species
Bukit Tigapuluh National Park is situated in eastern Sumatra and covers more than 140,000 hectares. It is one of the last sanctuaries for endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger, the Sumatran orangutan, and the Sumatran elephant – as well as many bird species in danger of extinction. Sadly, illegal logging and conversion to plantations (palm oil, mainly) have meant that an estimated 2/3 of the park has been logged.
About the International Day of Forests
In 2012, The United Nations General Assembly chose the date 21 March to be the International Day of Forests. On this day, the nations of the world are encouraged to take action and organize campaigns that will protect and restore natural habitats – for example in the form of tree planting campaigns. The theme for 2021 is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being".