Bathroom retailer looks to sow seeds of sustainability

Victoria Plum has pledged to fund the planting of thousands of trees around the world over the next 12 months.

The company has a turnover of £103m partnered with JUST ONE Tree, a non-profit initiative working to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reverse biodiversity loss through global reforestation.

As part of the partnership the Doncaster-headquartered bathroom retailer will donate funds from the business on behalf of its employees in place of birthday, wedding or Christmas gifts to help it plant thousands of trees over the next year. The retailer has already donated in excess of £400 to ensure a tree is planted for each its employees.

JUST ONE Tree uses every pound donated to plant one tree and also supports the organisation’s oceans project which sees it plant mangroves and implement kelp regeneration programmes worldwide. Donations also enable the initiative to take environmental education into the classroom and fund reforestation organisations in countries such as Madagascar, Haiti, Indonesia, Mozambique and Nepal.

Victoria Plum chief executive, Paul McClenaghan, said: “Environmental concerns continue to dominate the narrative across the globe. It is a topic close to the hearts of many of our colleagues at Victoria Plum, so I am very pleased to launch this partnership.

“JUST ONE Tree is doing phenomenal work facilitating action within schools and business and making a real difference to people’s lives and the environment.

“In business, there’s always room to do the right thing. We are proud to support such an important initiative and play our part in the fight against climate change by enabling the planting of thousands of trees, helping restore the oceans and assisting the provision of continued education on the environment.”

The new partnership is just one one of several new sustainability measures introduced by the retailer, alongside a reduction in packaging, replacing plastic with recyclable materials where possible and the creation of an eco-bathroom range with features designed to help save water.

The firm is also taking its drive for sustainability further with eco deliveries being introduced using cleaner, more efficient vehicles and better route planning to help reduce driver time on the road. As an added incentive if a customer opts for an eco-delivery for their bathroom Victoria Plum will donate a tree on their behalf.

JUST ONE Tree founder, Amanda Bronkhorst, said: “JUST ONE Tree is founded on the principle of collective action. To have a business such as Victoria Plum supporting us is fantastic. JUST ONE Tree is a collective of individuals schools and businesses all coming together to have the greatest impact, so we are thrilled to have an organisation such as Victoria Plum join with us. We look forward to a long and successful partnership together.”