What is Green Friday?
True to our roots, the Passenger tradition of Green Friday is here. It’s our 7th year running and this year we go again together, planting 5 trees and protecting 1,000sqm of rainforest with every order.
For 10 days starting on 17th November, to cover the whole Black Friday period, folks have the opportunity to support registered conservation legends Rainforest Trust and Trees for the Future when picking up responsible gifts.
We’re listening to our community too; we’ll ensure our Outlet is well stocked with offers for those who want to pick up more responsible gifts for less.
“The average 1,000sqm of rainforest stores 36.9 metric tonnes of CO2e. This carbon is stored within tropical habitats, which remains protected, right where it should be thanks to your help.”
~ Vicky Wallace, Fundraising Manager, Rainforest Trust
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Why do we do it?
“Year after year, working with our amazing conservation partners over this period means we can give back with our gifting choices, planting trees for tomorrow and protecting rainforests for today.
It’s a simple, direct and real way for our community to give back. There’s more to learn and more to do, and we’re working hard on doing even more. Plant & protect isn’t the answer to everything, but we’re passionate about trees, we’ve always given a shit about how vital they are for a healthy people and a healthy planet.
This is a core part of the Passenger purpose. We’ll keep on planting trees & protecting rainforests today, tomorrow and the next day, just as we always have.”
- RICHARD SUTCLIFFE, FOUNDER
It's More Than Trees
Food-producing trees sustain people and wildlife.
Your impact goes way beyond tree planting when you place an order with Passenger. Our conservation partner Trees for the Future works with farmers in Kenya, Senegal, Mali, Uganda and Tanzania to bring back life to land they’ve lost due to deforestation and harmful farming practices.
By planting Forest Gardens, these farmers can rebuild entire food ecosystems that will provide nutrition and income for their communities for generations to come.
(Source: Trees for the Future)
Trees purify soil and prevent flooding, erosion and landslides.
Trees are the unsung heroes, their root systems prevent soil erosion and create a paradise for microorganisms. They absorb nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants from nearby streams and water sources.
They capture rainwater naturally and slow down water flow, which prevents natural disasters such as flooding.
(Source: Food And Agriculture Organization for the United Nations)
With diverse tree species planted, farmers and their families can sell fruits, nuts and vegetables within their local communities.
This breaks the poverty cycle and increases access to nutritious food at the same time. Putting roots in the ground doesn’t just benefit the environment; our unique Forest Garden Approach sees whole communities benefiting.
In 2022, Passenger planted 263,956 trees and supported the training of 211 farmers as part of TREES’ Ugandan LERWA project. LERWA (Land and Environmental Rights Watch Africa) is a not-for-profit organisation in Uganda that empowers communities, particularly women and young people, towards sustainable environmental preservation and protection.
(Source: Trees for the Future)
Responsible forestry creates skills, jobs and an economy.
Sustainable tree farming provides timber to build homes and shelters, and wood to burn for cooking and heating. This slows climate migration and encourages tree planting rather than tree removal.
(Source: New Phytologist Foundation)
We all know trees love CO2; they can’t get enough of the stuff.
Soaking it up and eventually releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere. They literally help us to live.
Since 1989, the trees planted in Forest Gardens across Africa by Trees for the Future (TREES) and their farmers have casually sequestered 4.5 million metric tonnes of CO2. Since supporting TREES, the trees Passenger has funded are on their way to capturing a combined 40,058 metric tons of CO2 over 20 years.
And since partnering with Rainforest Trust, Passenger has protected 7,786 acres of rainforest (correct as of November 2023), which is around half the size of Luxembourg or San Marino. In 2022 alone, we protected 1,700 acres, which is larger than the footprint of Glastonbury festival (1,100 acres).
With our support, David has converted half a hectare of his farm into a diverse Forest Garden, just three years on from joining TREES’ training program.
With fresh knowledge of agroforestry techniques, David now has alleys of Cajanus trees and vegetable gardens that all contribute to better soil health. A living fence surrounding his farm protects it from the elements and provides tasty food for his animals too.
From having just 12 trees to now almost 3,500, David’s Forest Garden has its own micro-climate, helping protect his crops and provide a better yield.
Beyond Co2
Feeding his 13-person household used to be a struggle, and David would have to use his wages to buy vegetables.
Today, David grows his own food, he can use that money and the additional income he makes to buy meat, fish and school supplies for his children.
He’s also part of a partnership with Aspiration, allowing TREES Forest Garden farmers in Kenya to earn an income through carbon credit sales.
David’s is just one story, our support creates a real difference to real people. Read more at trees.org
"Trees for the Future is grateful for our partnership with Passenger, whose commitment is instrumental in realizing our overarching mission. Thanks to their dedication, we are poised to amplify our influence on both people and the planet. We look forward to growing toward a more equitable and integrated global landscape together."
~ Tim McLellan, CEO, Trees For The Future
Passenger Conservation Partners
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Trees For The Future
Registered charity number: 521644869
Trees for the Future (TREES) is the registered charity that manages Passenger’s tree planting for every order.
Since 1989, they’ve planted over 300 million trees that have helped bring back to life land that had been ruined due to deforestation, unsustainable land use and harmful farming practices in Senegal, Mali, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. -
Rainforest Trust: Conservation Action Fund
Registered charity number: 1169111
Rainforest Trust uses 100% of Passenger’s donations to conserve rainforests and preserve habitats.
Since 2019, we’ve donated monthly to Rainforest Trust’s Conservation Action Fund. This directly supports the protection of endangered species, protects the traditional way of life for Indigenous Peoples and conserves the biodiversity of rainforests around the world.
"100% of Passenger’s donations go to direct conservation action, meaning every penny goes to protecting threatened tropical habitat for endangered species and the climate."~ Vicky Wallace, Rainforest Trust UK
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One Tree Planted
Registered charity number: 464664562
Our first love and something that we’ll never stop doing - good old simple tree planting. One Tree Planted are leaders in global reforestation, their simple $1 = 1 tree model makes reforestation simple and direct. -
Knepp Wildland Foundation
Registered charity number: 1190335
Knepp is a 3,500 acre rewilding project in Sussex, UK. Working with nature instead of against it, for the past 20 years the team has worked to create a dynamic, rebounding eco-system that gives sanctuary to thousands of native and endangered species.
The Passenger crew have spent time coppicing and hand-planting trees here this Green Friday.
Green Friday FAQs
Is this greenwashing?
The long game
Being responsible is a core value, it’s been at the heart of Passenger since day one. We’ve been planting trees for a long time and there weren’t that many of us doing it back then.
Putting roots in the ground is just one part of our ESG strategy, but it’s the part we’re most known for. It’s a simple, direct and real way for our community to give back with every purchase. Many other businesses now choose to plant trees too which is brilliant. No matter whether it’s popular or not, we’ll keep on planting today, tomorrow and the next day just as we always have.
Green Friday
It’s great that Green Friday has taken off and we see more and more brands joining in every year. The downside to that is greenwashing, where it’s just about encouraging people to buy more things they don’t need via some thinly veiled green claims.
It’s tough out there, and a lot of businesses rely on sales at this time of year to survive. Consumers should ask questions and brands should give honest answers. It might not always be perfect, but if we’re informed and aware of our choices then we can make better buying decisions.
Education
We talk about greenwashing a lot at Passenger, we’re very aware of how damaging it is to consumer trust and how frustrating it is for independent businesses that are genuine.
We want to help people understand that more responsible choices are out there. You can choose a product with a lighter footprint, you can choose to protect rainforests, plant trees or support a number of impactful causes with your buying choices. There are independent brands out there doing the best they can to make a positive difference this time of year.
We are focused on what we can do and what our community can do. We encourage everyone to check claims and do the right thing for them.
Where are my trees?
When you order from Passenger, you're contributing to conservation projects in both the UK and globally. Your order will plant trees in Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Our partners plant trees in just the right places to make a real difference, working hand in hand with ongoing projects to amp up their impact.
We're exploring ways to connect specific orders to specific planting sites, but only if it has a positive impact on the work we're doing, and doesn't increase the environmental footprint of the order.
What has Passenger done in the past?
Passenger has run a Green Friday alternative to Black Friday for 7 years.
To date, we’ve planted more than 693,000 native trees in soil all over the globe and protected over 31,000,000sqm of rainforest. (Nov 2023).
Our primary conservation partners are Rainforest Trust and Trees for the Future. In 2023 we also supported smaller charities such as Knepp Rewilding, YMCA and One Tree Planted.
