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I've been interested in the interface between business and biodiversity since the late 1980s when I visited a small family-run private ‘game farm’ in South Africa. The owners made their living by managing a natural landscape and conserving wildlife. Biodiversity was their business and the business of biodiversity became my work.

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Why Is Timberland Planting Trees In Haiti?

A recent Forbes blog covered the news that Timberland has supported the planting of over 2 million trees in Haiti. My first reaction was that this is absolutely great. My second reaction was why?

Why is an American company best known for high quality outdoor shoes planting trees in Haiti? Why has Timberland gone into partnership with a Smallholder Farmers Alliance to plant trees and promote self-sufficiency among Haitian farmers? I was fortunate to connect up with Margaret Morey-Reuner, Timberland’s senior manager of values marketing, to find out why.

So why is Timberland planting trees in Haiti?

Margaret explained that because Timberland’s products are aimed at enjoying the outdoors, it makes sense for the company to proactively care for the environment. Her explanation shows how corporate responsibility can be directly linked to a company’s business model and operations.

So why plant trees specifically in Haiti? Margaret noted that the company has been making shoes in the Dominican Republic, Haiti’s neighbour on the island of Hispaniola, for more than 30 years. She explained that “As a footwear manufacturer on the island, we have a responsibility to not only mitigate any environmental impacts we make, but to give back more than we take. This project has also led us to think about the long term impact we could have in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and in other emerging regions around the globe where we do business.”

Is there a business case for planting trees?

The business case for planting trees links biodiversity responsibility on the supply side of the company to consumer preferences on its demand side. Margaret sees this as a direct link: “Besides the offsetting of our environmental impact in the region, we recognize that all things being equal, consumers will choose a company that shares their values over one that does not. This proves that we don’t have to choose between making a profit and saving the planet. We can do both.”

What do Timberland’s employees and customers think of this initiative?

Haiti is clearly a special case for Timberland as the company’s employees played an active role in supporting earthquake response efforts there. Margaret explained that this has created a community of employees who have developed an emotional investment in the long term prospects of the company’s work in Haiti. More broadly, however, the company’s employees are also engaged in other tree planting initiatives around the world.

Timberland customers, on the other hand, are exposed to the tree planting projects through the company’s websites and social media. Margaret explained as well that they occasionally run “Plant One on Us” campaigns at their retail stores where Timberland agrees to plant a tree when a customer purchases one of their Earthkeepers products. For Timberland, a key part of the business case is to ensure that their brand is associated with biodiversity-positive action.

Does Timberland plant trees in other countries as well?

Indeed, Haiti is not the only place where Timberland is planting trees. Margaret highlighted their 14 years of support for a reforestation project in China’s Horqin Desert. And over the last two years they have planted trees in Argentina, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Venezuela and the U.S. A new project is now underway in Belgium. As Margaret explained, this is clearly the result of the engagement of the broader Timberland community: “The trees associated with these projects have been planted by Timberland employees, consumers, retail partners and our local NGO and non-profit partners.”

So why is an American outdoor shoe company planting trees? Timberland, it seems, fully understands that a company can do better by doing good.

For more information, visit: http://community.timberland.com/tree-planting.



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