The season of giving: Trees for Cities
As it’s National Tree Week, we think it’s fitting to announce our new partnership with charity Trees for Cities. As our first donation, we were able to donate over £500K, which means they’ll be able to plant 100,000 trees. This will help to reduce around 37,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions and promote a healthier urban environment – incredible! And, simply by continuing to shop with Ocado, you play a big part in our sustainability goals. Thank you.
So, a little more about our chosen charity. Trees for Cities is a UK based charity with ambitions to revitalise forgotten spaces and create healthier environments by planting trees. As well as offsetting CO2, trees absorb air pollution, release oxygen and host thousands of species – this helps boost urban biodiversity and help mitigate climate change by cooling the air and the ground.
David Elliott, CEO of Trees for Cities, says: “Trees for Cities are extremely proud to partner with Ocado to achieve sustainable change. Together we will have a substantial positive impact on the environment and communities across the UK. Ocado’s commitment to society and the environment is second to none; we look forward to working together to create healthier and greener cities for generations to come.”
Our ambition is to become the most sustainable grocer. We’re focused on keeping our food waste near 0%, reducing our carbon impact and using responsible packaging. We’re also one of 16 retailers to join the British Retail Consortium (BRC) steering group, with an ambitious target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Our partnership with Trees for Cities is one of many ways we’re trying to help create a sustainable environment for us all.
Our Head of Sustainability, Jo West, says: “We’re thrilled to partner with Trees for Cities. The benefits of planting trees are enormous and in urban environments, they are even more important, helping to promote healthier environments for the communities that live there. Ocado is committed to operating sustainably and we have numerous initiatives launching in 2021 to show how serious we are.”