Social business Akili Australia has partnered with WWF to help regenerate Australian forests by adopting a tree on behalf of its customers for every order received through its website.
According to WWF, Australia is the only developed country listed as a global deforestation hotspot, with an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 hectares of land cleared annually. As many as 750 million native animals will die in Australia in 10 years because of excessive tree clearing.
Akili co-founder, Fabi Alvarez, says they love what WWF is aiming for with its campaign and they wanted to be part of it.
“Sustainability is a matter very close to our hearts,” he explains.
“So besides ensuring that our products are handmade with natural or recycled materials, we actively looked for a partner to plant trees in deforested areas in the country.
“That is how we came across WWF Australia. Their project to regenerate Australia by growing and saving two billion trees by 2030 sounded ambitious, and we loved it. We then contacted them to join their program.”
Once the seedling is planted, Akili’s customers will receive its GPS coordinates to know precisely where their tree is in the country.
“We want to empower our customers to have a positive impact on the Australian environment. For example, it is pretty empowering to plant a tree and receive its GPS location, knowing where the adopted tree is in the country and its contribution to preserving wildlife.
“It is a fascinating project. We received a lot of positive, encouraging messages. We can’t wait to start planting the seedlings and sending the GPS coordinates to our customers,” enthuses Alvarez.
Australian consumers are worried about the environment and they actively want to be part of the solution, adds Akili co-founder, Vlad da Cunha.
“As a small business focused on sustainable, ethical alternatives to everyday products, Akili Australia believes we are in a position to provide our customers with tangible opportunities to have a positive, visible impact on the Australian environment.”
Akili, which was only recently launched in Australia, offers sustainable shoes, bags, jewellery, homewares and accessories handmade with natural or recycled materials by women-led artisan enterprises in Brazil, Ecuador and Tanzania.
