For a long time, we have all been aware of our impact on the environment. As we face increasingly stark warnings about the climate emergency, the human impact on the planet we cannot ignore the urgency to make sustainable changes.
As a field marketing agency, our biggest contributor to our carbon footprint are the miles that we drive through our fleet operation. we do not underestimate the need to be a responsible business and employer and Our Advantage Smollan Path to Purpose strategy is a series of focus areas designed to make a sustainable difference to the people who work with us, the communities we serve and the planet upon which we all live. As part of our path to purpose, REL has signed up to a carbon offsetting programme with our UK sister companies (Powerforce and Retail Active) and OblongTrees.
Together we have signed up to a global tree planting programme, committing to planting 12,000 trees a year for the next six years. Over this time as the trees mature, and as additional carbon-reducing initiatives are put in place, we will become fleet carbon neutral by 2025 for both our managed and grey fleet.
Nick McGrath, REL MD, said:
Partnering with OblongTrees to deliver our carbon offsetting programme is a significant step in delivering against our Path to Purpose strategy. We will continue to find ways, both big and small, to minimise our impact on the planet and ensure we are positively contributing to our communities and the wider planet.
About OblongTrees
OblongTrees was born when Oblong (UK) Ltd started looking into offsetting their carbon footprint. After facing many challenges with carbon footprint calculations, issues with carbon credits and cost-prohibitive planting initiatives they found there was no one to turn to and realised other companies also wanting to offset carbon emissions were experiencing similar issues, and so, the decision was made to launch OblongTrees.
OblongTrees is not for profit and in fact, does not even cover their costs. Currently all the money received goes into planting trees and Oblong (UK) Ltd funds all operating costs with staff volunteering their time for free. The long-term goal is to turn OblongTrees into a self-sufficient not for profit charity.