A BUSINESS has gone from teas to trees as it aims to help the environment around the world.

Wessanen UK - which owns Clipper Teas based at Beaminster - has announced it has helped plant 223,378 trees over the last two years through its partnership with charitable organisation, International Tree Foundation (ITF).

As the sustainable food company’s lead charity partner, ITF has benefitted from team fundraising initiatives and corporate donations from Wessanen UK that have been used to support communities in both Africa and the UK and provide education around the importance of reforestation.

From small-scale sustainable community forestry projects to an ambitious 20 Million Trees Campaign, ITF’s efforts are focused on regenerating and cultivating trees and forests to conserve habitats rich in biodiversity.

2018 also saw the completion of six small-scale forestry projects supported by Wessanen UK which have helped to restore or enhance 109 hectares of land and raised awareness about trees and the environment with nearly 2,000 people.

Emma Vass, CEO at Wessanen UK, said: “We’ve been on a fantastic journey so far with ITF to help raise awareness and plant more trees in Kenya, an area that has an incredibly low amount of tree cover. We’ve been actively involved in supporting ITF with its education programme, community forestry projects and reforestation and had the opportunity to support incredible people and community groups who are driving positive change in the areas they live.

“As a business we believe in the importance of connecting to nature and we’re committed to producing food in the right way to protect our planet and help it thrive. We recognise how important trees are to the health of people and the environment. Children's education is a key part of Wessanen UK’s support programme to help nurture the next generation of tree planters, stewards and environmentalists. This includes plans for lessons and a dedicated teaching resource for primary-school aged children in the UK and in Africa to help them understand the importance of trees and build a more sustainable future."

Andy Egan, ITF chief executive, thanked Wessanen for their support.

He added: “The portfolio of projects supported by the company send encouraging messages from across the continent. These deliver crucial work on sustainable rural development, community forest management and women’s leadership and empowerment. We look forward to another year of working together.”

Wessanen UK was the first corporate sponsor of ITF’s 20 Million Trees Campaign, which aims to plant 20 million trees in and around Kenya’s highland forests by 2024, when ITF will celebrate its centenary.