Funds raised in run-up to World Environment Day 2021 through recyclable shopping bag purchases will help plant 1000 new trees
In the run-up to World Environment Day, taking place this weekend, Saturday, 5 June, Pick n Pay is celebrating its customers for their part in ensuring that the Kraaibos Forest near Knysna in the Western Cape is revived following devasting fires in the area in 2017.
Pick n Pay recently partnered with local NGO, Greenpop, leading up to world Environment Day 2021, launching a limited edition 100% reusable RPET bag featuring two of South Africa’s most beautiful and iconic trees, the Baobab and Outeniqua Yellowwood, designed to bring visibility and awareness to the country’s important forest ecosystems and the preservation of these.
Proceeds of the sale of the bag will now help Greenpop plant 1000 trees over the next 3 months in Kraaibos, one of the areas in the Garden Route where large portions of indigenous and non-indigenous vegetation were decimated by rampant fires in 2017.
“Forests are of immense value, not only do they provide livelihoods to many people, the ecosystems the support protects and promote biodiversity. Partnering with an organisation such as Greenpop ensures that Pick n Pay deepens our opportunities to be a force for good. We are honoured to work with them,” says Andre Nel, head of sustainability at Pick n Pay.
Greenpop has been reforesting degraded pockets of indigenous forests in the Garden Route since 2018. Its Forests for Life project connects small-scale organisations across Sub-Saharan Africa with funding and support to plant trees, restore forest and woodland habitats, effectively manage critical catchment areas, and improve the lives of communities who rely on forest resources.
“We cannot do the work we do without the support of companies like Pick n Pay and their dedicated customers. Not only will their support help us plant 1000 trees, it will help improve soil quality, support local community nurseries and provide critical ecosystem services,” says Carla Wessels, Greenpop’s Partnerships & Communications Manager.
Pick n Pay’s reusable RPET bag rollout is just one of the retailer’s many community initiatives, which serve to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people and planet. The initiative is part of a collaborative series to help raise awareness and funding for worthy projects across the country. More recently, the ‘Save our Beach Huts’ RPET bag showcased the iconic beach huts in Muizenberg and St James, and profiled the project aimed at restoring the 36 beach huts that are a rich part of Cape Town’s heritage.
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