Unilever Tea to plant one million trees by end of 2010

By Standard Reporter

Unilever Tea Kenya has said plans to plant one million indigenous forest trees on and around its estates by end of next year are on schedule.

The Managing Director Richard Fairburn said through the company’s sustainable agriculture programme, the company had planted 400,000 indigenous trees and donated a similar number to other institutions.

"Our target is to plant close to a million trees in collaboration with partners by 2010," he said.

The company also finances a programmes officer for Friends of the Mau Watershed, an environmental charity set up to tackle the depletion of the Mau Forest.

Fairburn said, ‘Unilever launched its ‘Trees 2000’ initiative with a focus of planting trees as part of its environmental conservation programme.

Natural forests

The result of the initiative, whose goal was to augment existing natural forests, has fully covered riparian areas, arboreta and a mosaic of forest patches and wetlands within the tea plantations.

Unilever has also supported the ‘Trees for Peace’ campaign through the Unep Kenya programme, where it has donated tree seedlings worth Sh850,000.