How tentree Uses Tech & Transparency to Deliver Big Impact — for Customers & the Earth

Hey, we’re tentree.

If we haven’t met before, we’re an Earth-first apparel brand that plants ten trees for every piece of ethical and sustainable clothing we sell — yup, you read that right. We plant trees because it’s one of the best ways to create a more sustainable future. So far, we’ve planted over 77 million trees and are on a mission to plant 1 billion by 2030.

Even though this sounds great in theory, we understand that you might be a little skeptical at first. Lately, there’s been a lot of negative press about tree planting initiatives that were a total scam and debate over whether tree planting actually benefits the planet. 

Let us explain how we make sure every tree gets planted and how this one small action (when done right) can have a lasting impact on our planet.

Our tree planting at tentree is powered by veritree, a software we developed ourselves. Whenever you buy a piece of clothing from us, veritree ensures that your ten trees are planted and tracked, then delivers information about the trees you’ve registered to something called your Impact Wallet.

If you haven’t checked out the Impact Wallet yet, it’s a really cool interactive portal that tracks your impact through tree planting. You’re able to see your virtual forest grow over time, see where they’re planted in the world, and learn about the communities you’re uplifting.

A big part of what makes our planting initiatives so unique (and the list is long) is the level of transparency. Over time, we realized that a lot of organizations didn’t have the tools to verify that a tree had been put in the ground. 

It’s common for saplings to be double counted or improperly labeled. Using traditional methods, like remote sensing, to track planting initiatives leaves a lot of room for error and inaccurate data collection. So we created a software that gives quick and reliable data on when and where a specific tree was planted.

veritree uses something called blockchain technology. This technology ensures that every single step of the tree planting journey is traceable, logged, and can’t be tampered with. veritree’s all about collecting ground-level data, which resolves a lot of the traceability issues we mentioned. Collecting ground-level data not only provides job opportunities in local communities where planting initiatives take place, but enables precise tracking for each tree planted. 

Now you know how we plant our trees, but why plant them in the first place? Since the beginning, everything we do has stemmed from how we can do better by our planet, and we’re firm believers that big change starts small. By planting ten trees for every purchase, we hope to make big change accessible to everybody and show the lasting impact that one small choice can have.

Tree planting is what’s considered a nature-based solution. Nature-based solutions harness the power of nature to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and also help us adapt to the impacts of climate change. Not only does tree planting sequester carbon, but it also helps create other positive impacts for the earth, like conserving water and biodiversity, supporting vulnerable communities around the world, and ensuring food security.

We’re only just getting started, but in the last ten years, our community has helped us:

• Plant ​​approximately 70 million trees
• Create roughly 4.5 million hours of work in our planting communities
• Restore around 14,600 ha of forest
• Sequester nearly 6.7 million tons of carbon dioxide

Although we still have a lot of work to do and trees to plant, we’re inspired by our growing community of conscious consumers who are demanding businesses do better for the planet. As an Earth-first company, we’re committed to ensuring our community feels connected to the good they’re doing as we all work together to create a better, more sustainable future.

About the Author

Hannah Prince
Content Creator and Head Writer, tentree