Want to support the environment while updating your wardrobe? Look no further. In honor of World Rainforest Day (June 22), we’ve teamed up with Amsterdam-based fashion brand Scotch & Soda and Trees for All, the global foundation committed to reforestation projects in Central and South America, Africa and Asia as well as in the Netherlands, to launch a campaign supporting reforestation efforts around the world.
Together, Scotch & Soda and Klarna have committed to planting 10,000 trees across two initiatives in the Carara National Park in Costa Rica and the Bongo District of Ghana in West Africa. With every first-time purchase made with Klarna on scotch-soda.com, a tree will be planted on behalf of each customer, certified by Trees for All.
Of the 10,000 trees committed, 5,000 will be planted to support restoration efforts in Costa Rica’s Carara National Park. Due to large-scale deforestation, the park, one of the most biodiverse nature reserves in Central America, has suffered as many of its plants and animal species have been wiped out. The other 5,000 trees will take root in the Bongo District of Ghana, one of the country’s driest areas. Despite arid conditions, the region is home to a significant water source that farmers and surrounding villages depend on for drinking water and irrigating the land – the reservoir of the Vea Dam, into which the Yarigatanga River flows. Over the next three years, Trees for All will reforest eroded riverbanks, establish agroforestry, plant native and fruit trees, and train over 1,500 farmers in forest protection and sustainable land-use techniques to ensure long-term management of the area.
“Facilitating innovation and change to make a positive impact on the world is a core element of Klarna’s culture, and as a global brand and business, we have a responsibility to tackle some of the most pressing sustainability challenges,” David Sandström, CMO of Klarna, noted. “Through this campaign with Scotch & Soda and Trees For All, we encourage and enable customers to take action with a small, individual step that collectively contributes to reducing and preventing deforestation around the world.”
“We are very excited that Klarna is teaming up with us to kick-off our long-term initiative to support Trees for All,” Stéphane Jaspar, CMO of Scotch & Soda, commented. “We are looking forward to helping restore local ecosystems on behalf of our consumers. It is a very easy way for everyone to participate and contribute to reforestation efforts in well-defined areas that need it the most.”
This joint reforestation initiative celebrates the partnership between Klarna and Scotch & Soda, which was launched in October 2020. Klarna’s flexible payment methods are now available on scotch-soda.com across over 11 markets, including Germany, Sweden, UK, and the US. The campaign also follows the launch of Klarna’s global GiveOne.com platform earlier this year. As part of the initiative, Klarna has launched carbon footprint insights for all consumers using the Klarna app and committed 1% of all funding rounds to initiatives supporting the planet.
Simone Groenendijk, Director of Trees for All, commented: “Trees are one of Earth’s most precious resources supporting our ecosystem and forming our rainforests, which are home to half of the world’s plant and animal species, essential to maintaining a stable climate and a vital water source. We are very happy to have Scotch & Soda and Klarna help us in accomplishing our mission to plant more trees worldwide and restore degraded forests.”