Renewable energy organisation Pure Planet has gifted all of its 80 employees a tree for Christmas this year, as part of its strategy to reduce waste and CO2 levels and increase sustainability.
The Bath-based employer is offering staff the opportunity to plant their tree at either home, in a local community space or in a sustainable forest.
Employees will be able to choose individual trees from the website of conservation charity Woodland Trust, which will provide 22 options, including the common beech tree, English oak, silver birch and juniper.
One Pure Planet employee will be donating her tree to a local community initiative aiming to enhance green spaces in the village of Winsley, Wiltshire.
As an extension to the tree-giving Christmas incentive, Pure Planet plans to give each new employee a tree as a welcome gift when they join the organisation.
Steven Day (pictured), co-founder at Pure Planet, said: “At Pure Planet we want to help everyone contribute to a zero-carbon future, and that starts here with our team. So many offices opt to do Secret Santa at Christmas, which quite often accumulates pointless stocking fillers that end up in landfill after the festive period.
“We decided, enough with the pointless plastic gifts, instead opting to give all our staff a tree for Christmas. The difference with giving everybody a tree is that whether they choose to plant it at home or donate it to a local conservation project it can last for centuries and helps the planet.
“The reaction to the trees has been very positive, our team thinks it’s great to get something engaging and a bit different, with so much tat out there, it’s nice to receive something meaningful that also positively impacts the environment and well being of our communities. We urge other companies to ditch pointless gifts and think about giving a tree to their staff instead.”
