Edgewell Partners With the Arbor Day Foundation to Support Andes Mountain Reforestation Efforts
At Edgewell, we believe in operating our business responsibly and view our sustainability efforts as a key enabler of our growth strategy. Our Sustainable Care 2030 strategy continues to guide us forward as we pursue our ambitious goals and explore new ways to create positive impact. We’re proud of our efforts to date in critical areas such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving natural resources across our global operations — and we’re expanding our efforts to support more local communities and help to protect nature.
However, we recognize we cannot do it alone. Strategic partnerships are key to helping us extend our reach in important areas such as biodiversity protection, and therefore I am excited to share that Edgewell is partnering with the Arbor Day Foundation for a third consecutive year. As the world's largest member nonprofit dedicated to planting trees, the Foundation — through its members, partners and programs — educates and engages stakeholders and communities across the globe in its mission of planting, nurturing and celebrating trees.
Since 2022, we have partnered with the Foundation and supported the planting of over 18,000 trees across areas of the U.K., Australia, U.S. and South America. Over the next 40 years, these trees are projected to sequester approximately 13,000 metric tons of carbon. This year, we are building on our support and helping to fund the planting of 7,000 more trees, for a total of 25,000 trees.
Our most recent collaboration continues to support reforestation and biodiversity efforts in the Polyepis forest of South America’s Andes Mountains, which has been impacted by natural and man-made disasters in recent years. While the Polylepis forest is an important contributor to regional watersheds, streams and wetlands — all of which are sources of freshwater for thousands of local people — today it covers less than 10% of its natural range. According to the Foundation’s local planting partner, Acción Andina, these trees have the potential to help safeguard biodiversity and water security, as well as expand healthy habitats for regional wildlife. This project is particularly close to our hearts, as the forests are home to one-third of all known hummingbird species — Edgewell’s emblem.
As a company with caring at our core, doing our small part to help protect biodiversity and nature is important to us. And it speaks to our desire to create a world in which the joy of caring for ourselves is balanced with caring for our shared planet and each other, and I am grateful to the Arbor Day Foundation for helping us put that philosophy into practice.
1Source: Metrics reported by the Arbor Day Foundation, configured using U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service i-Tree Tools.