Woodlands Dairy, a committed advocate for sustainability, has answered the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s call to action by planting additional trees in celebration of Arbour Week, which takes place annually during the first week of September.

This year, Woodlands Dairy’s factory staff are contributing by planting trees and succulents in Humansdorp and around the plant.

“We’ve added trees to the Miyawaki forest garden, around the landfill border, and behind our warehouse. We’ll also enhance our succulent garden behind the boiler house and plant a cycad at our main entrance,” says Marisa Maccaferri, Marketing Executive at Woodlands Dairy and First Choice. “These efforts not only beautify public spaces for the community’s benefit but also help restore natural areas after the removal of invasive species, re-establishing habitats for a variety of wildlife, including birds, amphibians, insects and other creatures.”

André Adendorff, Sustainability Manager at Woodlands Dairy, adds: “Woodlands Dairy has planted over 400 trees since 2019, which have already absorbed around 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ - equivalent to driving from Humansdorp to Cape Town and back in a medium-sized car.

“For the past two years, we’ve been monitoring the growth of these trees, collecting data on various species to understand their growth rates and carbon sequestration potential. On average, each tree sequesters around 1.28 kg of CO₂ per year, although this varies depending on the species, age, and growing conditions.”

Suritha Kampman, Sustainability Officer at Woodlands Dairy, explains that 1.5 tonnes may seem modest, but most of these trees are still young. “Their carbon storage capacity will increase significantly as they mature. Notably, the five-year-old Cape Ash trees have contributed the most to the total CO₂ captured to date. These results reaffirm that tree planting is not just an investment in biodiversity but also a long-term commitment to climate change mitigation.”

Woodlands Dairy is further committed to minimising its ecological impact through a range of sustainable practices, including the strategic use of renewable energy sources such as solar photovoltaics, biogas, and biomass to generate electricity and steam for operations.

Maccaferri concludes: “We make a concerted effort to communicate all our sustainability initiatives, fostering community awareness and inspiring collective action. We believe that doing good today helps secure a better future for all.”

For further information, please visit https://www.woodlandsdairy.co.za/sustainability/.

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