Highlights:
- HP takes next step in realizing a forest-positive future by pledging one million trees to support Arbor Day Foundation
- Since announcing its forest-positive vision for printing in 2019, HP has donated more than US$12 million to NGO partnerships to protect forests, improve responsible forest management, and develop science-based targets for forests. Its expanded commitment to the Foundation will drive high-impact tree planting initiatives, including the restoration of California forests devastated by the 2018 Carr and Camp wildfires.
- HP to speak about the importance of a forest-positive future during an Arbor Day Foundation panel at Climate Week on September 24
- HP pledges to reduce potable water consumption in global operations by 35% by 2025
PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) today pledged to plant one million trees by the end of 2020 through a partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation that supports World Economic Forum’s and American Forests’ 1t.org U.S. initiative that serves as a global movement to conserve, restore and grow one trillion trees by 2030. The pledge reaffirms HP’s ongoing commitment to restoring, protecting and improving the management of global forests as part of the company’s vision for print sustainability. In addition, HP pledged to reduce potable water consumption in global operations by 35% by 2025, an industry-leading goal.
“At HP, we believe the science that confirms this is the crucial decade for addressing climate change and know that ensuring access to critical natural resources like forests and water is a key part of a global solution,” says Ellen Jackowski, chief sustainability and social impact officer at HP. “By collaborating with organizations such as the Arbor Day Foundation, we are helping restore and preserve the world’s forests for generations to come.”
Since January 2020, through its partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation HP has also:
- Contributed toward reforestation in California, Michigan, Florida and the Mississippi River Valley. From wildfire restoration and watershed management to endangered species protection, these projects drive positive, long-term environmental impact.
- Honored HP employees by planting one tree for each of HP’s 55,000 employees around the world. HP employees voted to plant these trees in California, Ireland, Brazil, Indonesia and Texas.
“Forests are a critical tool not only to remove carbon from the atmosphere, but also to mitigate the immediate impacts of the changing climate disasters on people, wildlife and critical ecosystems around the globe,” said Dan Lambe, president of the Arbor Day Foundation. “By restoring tree loss, committed partners like HP are making a significant investment in our health and well-being now and for generations to come.”
The HP Sustainable Forests Collaborative
HP’s partnership with the Foundation is a part of the HP Sustainable Forests Collaborative, which launched in 2019 with the support of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and International Paper. Earlier this year, Arbor Day Foundation, Chenming Paper, Domtar and New Leaf Paper joined the HP Sustainable Forest Collaborative to accelerate efforts on forest restoration. The cross-industry collaboration will demonstrate scientific and commercially viable approaches to keeping working forest ecosystems healthy. Together, HP and the collaborative members encourage other companies to join their reforestation efforts to restore and protect global forests for future generations.
A Continued Commitment to Forest Protection
The Arbor Day Foundation partnership adds to a five-year $11 million commitment HP made in September 2019 to protect 200,000 acres of forest in China and Brazil, an area equal to the size of New York City, by collaborating with World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The partnership with WWF also includes a $1 million donation from HP to support the development of science-based guidance related to three issues central to sustaining the world’s forests. These comprise the quantity and quality of forests needed in key regions to ensure the forests can support people and nature, including: contributions to a larger global Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), actions companies can take to keep those forests thriving and tools companies can use to better estimate the climate, water and other nature-related co-benefits of their actions.
Creating a Greater Call to Action
Today, all HP branded paper is deforestation-free, and HP is on track to derive all paper-based product packaging from certified and recycled sources by the end of 2020, with a preference for virgin fiber from FSC-certified sources.
However, the company believes more private and public partnerships are needed to enable all participants to collaborate, share best practices and take advantage of each other’s strengths. To that end, HP recently made a commitment to the U.S. chapter of the World Economic Forum’s 1t.org, the global trillion tree movement. The initiative is designed to bring together like-minded companies, governments and organizations to accelerate the restoration of degraded forest ecosystems, fight climate change and protect biodiversity on the planet. Through these types of collaborations, HP believes it can magnify its influence to inspire widespread action across all industries - helping create a more sustainable future for the generations to come.
To increase awareness about the importance of responsibly managed forests and encourage others to prioritize this cause, HP will join the Arbor Day Foundation, #TeamTrees, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Salesforce, The Nature Conservancy, The UPS Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society at a September 24 Climate Week panel titled “Can the Push for Tree Planting Tip the Scale?” For additional details on this event and/or to register, please visit https://climateweeknyc.org/event/can-push-trees-tip-scale.
The Value of Water
HP is also announcing a corporate goal to reduce potable water consumption across global operations by 35% by 2025, compared to 2015. Previously, HP committed to reduce potable water consumption by 15% by 2025, compared to 2015. In 2019, HP exceeded its water goal six years early, by consuming 18% less than in 2015. As part of the goal, HP is focusing on high risk- and high water-consuming sites. As the private sector continues to look at climate risks from a business and financial perspective, HP will focus on facilities in areas that have seen higher droughts and less potable water for global citizens. Last year, HP received an “A” on the 2019 CDP Water list.
About HP Inc.
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