One million trees seen from Aboitiz ‘A-Park’ partnerships

The Aboitiz Group recently firmed up its long-standing commitment to the environment, partnering with the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) to plant an estimated one million trees and reforest large areas in Luzon and Visayas under the group’s flagship nationwide tree-planting program, A-Park.

These partnerships, valued at approximately P46 million were signed at a ceremony last October 26 by Rey Laguda, PBSP Executive Director; Erramon I. Aboitiz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Inc., President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Armin Luistro, PBSP President; Jon Ramon Aboitiz, RAFI President and CEO; and Susan Valdez, Aboitiz Foundation President.

“The Aboitiz Way has always emphasized the core value of Responsibility, not just in our work, but equally important how we interact with our surroundings. A-Park trees will not only help combat climate change, but also provide livelihood opportunities for our community stakeholders,” said Erramon I. Aboitiz.

The A-Park program is a nationwide reforestation initiative of the Aboitiz Group, with the planted trees playing key roles in the group’s overall carbon sequestration thrust as well as the ongoing international action on climate change, specifically United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) 13 (Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts) and 17 (Institutional partnerships to revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development).

The program is also the Group’s contribution to the government’s greening efforts in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The Aboitiz Group, through A-Park, continues to be one of DENR’s largest National Greening Program partners to date.

As of end-2016, the Aboitiz Group has planted 5.4 million trees, each with an excellent seedling survival rate of 77%. This puts the Aboitiz Group well on track to growing nine million seedlings by end-2020, which are then estimated to sequester 189,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Under its Environment focus area, the Aboitiz Group continues to roll out initiatives that advance business and communities by promoting environmental conservation and biodiversity enhancement. These support the UN SDGs 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water), and 15 (Life on Land).

Under this program, the Aboitiz Group also focuses on waste management and resource efficiency while supporting the government’s greening initiatives. The Aboitiz Foundation, with the help of Aboitiz business units, also enjoins team members to actively participate in minimizing environmental impact through sustainable initiatives.