HP, Arbor Day Foundation to Plant 1 Million Trees by the End of 2020

HP Inc. pledged to plant 1 million trees by the end of 2020 through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation that supports World Economic Forum’s and American Forests’ 1t.org U.S. initiative that serves as a global movement to conserve, restore and grow 1 trillion trees by 2030. 

The pledge reaffirms HP’s ongoing commitment to restoring, protecting and improving the management of global forests as part of the company’s vision for print sustainability. 

Also, HP pledged to reduce potable water consumption in global operations by 35% by 2025.

“At HP, we believe the science that confirms this is the crucial decade for addressing climate change and know that ensuring access to critical natural resources like forests and water is a key part of a global solution,” said Ellen Jackowski, chief sustainability and social impact officer at HP. “By collaborating with organizations such as the Arbor Day Foundation, we are helping restore and preserve the world’s forests for generations to come.”

Since January 2020, through its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation, HP has also:

• Contributed toward reforestation in California, Michigan, Florida and the Mississippi River Valley. From wildfire restoration and watershed management to endangered species protection, these projects drive positive, long-term environmental impact;
• Honored HP employees by planting one tree for each of HP’s 55,000 employees around the world. HP employees voted to plant these trees in California, Ireland, Brazil, Indonesia and Texas.

“Forests are a critical tool not only to remove carbon from the atmosphere, but also to mitigate the immediate impacts of the changing climate disasters on people, wildlife and critical ecosystems around the globe,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “By restoring tree loss, committed partners like HP are making a significant investment in our health and well-being now and for generations to come.”

HP’s partnership with the Foundation is a part of the HP Sustainable Forests Collaborative, which launched in 2019 with the support of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and International Paper. 

Earlier this year, Arbor Day Foundation, Chenming Paper, Domtar and New Leaf Paper joined the HP Sustainable Forest Collaborative to accelerate efforts on forest restoration. 

The cross-industry collaboration will demonstrate scientific and commercially viable approaches to keeping working forest ecosystems healthy. Together, HP and the collaborative members encourage other companies to join their reforestation efforts to restore and protect global forests for future generations.

The Arbor Day Foundation partnership adds to a five-year $11 million commitment HP made in September 2019 to protect 200,000 acres of forest in China and Brazil, an area equal to the size of New York City, by collaborating with World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The partnership with WWF also includes a $1 million donation from HP to support the development of science-based guidance related to three issues central to sustaining the world’s forests. 

HP is also announcing a corporate goal to reduce potable water consumption across global operations by 35% by 2025, compared to 2015. 

Previously, HP committed to reduce potable water consumption by 15% by 2025, compared to 2015.

In 2019, HP exceeded its water goal six years early, by consuming 18% less than in 2015. 

As part of the goal, HP is focusing on high risk- and high water-consuming sites. 

Last year, HP received an “A” on the 2019 CDP Water list.