10 Tree

My boyfriend is a jerk.

Ok, not really. But he does make "fun" of me for the clothing I decide to buy. He'll say, "if it saves a puppy, she's in." Now he doesn't mean that literally, but it is true that if I'm buying clothes, I choose to spend my money with brands that are making a difference in the world.

So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to tentree.

tentree is an amazing clothing company that donates 10 trees for every product you buy. When you receive your garments you also receive a little medallion that has a code on it. You plug that code into their site and just like that they tell you where your trees are planted!

I have a total of 100 trees planted. *Pats self on back"

10 trees are in Haiti - These trees can lift 1000 gallons of water out of the ground per day.

10 trees in Nepal - These trees will provide branches for construction of houses in Nepal.

80 trees in Madagascar - These trees can lift 8000 gallons of water out of the ground per day

??- Yeah... I forgot to log in and plug some in, but that doesn't mean they didn't get planted!

I mean, why would I NOT spend my money with them? That is absolutely amazing. And in a world where you want to make a difference and feel like you're not sure where to start, this is an immediate contribution!

To date, tentree has planted 15,182,720 around the world.

And the crowd goes wild!!

Are their garments worth it?

Yes! Clearly I've bought a few things and I absolutely love them. I tend to wear it a little more than I should. Sometimes I wonder if people know that I own other things. Anyways, I digress. My advice is to keep an eye out for a thing called a Mystery Bag. A mystery bag contains 5 mystery items for $100. Which is a great deal when you look at the pricing of their items. True, you don't know what you're getting, but that's a part of the fun!

I've done two of these bags and have gotten one repeat item. But here's the thing, they don't allow you to return it. That's because they encourage you to give it to someone else who would also enjoy it! In my opinion, a great business model connected to spreading love.

Let's dive deeper

Manufacturing

(Pulled from their site as to communicate their missions correctly)

tentree only works with socially and environmentally responsible factories that are WRAP approved, they agree to yearly unannounced audits, and abide by a code of ethics. The factories they work with are committed to fair work hours, absolutely no child labour, fair compensation based on local laws, a safe and healthy workplace, and adherence to environmentally conscious practices.

They've worked to ensure that their environmental footprint is minimized throughout the supply chain by only working with factories that can source product from the local region. By doing this, they've shrunk their overall environmental impact and reduced approximately 15% of the pollution through shipping.

Social Impact

(Pulled from their site as to communicate their missions correctly)

It's one thing to plant trees, it's another thing to team up with not-for-profits and local communities to plant and take care of them. Which is exactly what tentree does. The community is hired to help propagate seedlings to be used for planting. After this, locals spend long hours clearing the planting sites of debris in order to promote better growth. Between this preparation and the resulting planting, fifty trees can provide one local worker with a full day of employment.

The benefits, however, don't end here. The communities are then hired to guard the reforestation sites from any grazing animals or inclement weather for up to seven years. The tragic reality is that most of the deforestation in these areas is a result of individuals trying to find wood for cooking and shelter. In order to ensure that this does not remain an issue, tentree works to educate all planting communities on sustainable practices. The trees planted with tentree are done so with the intention of solving an ever increasing problem. The impact of these trees extends far beyond the environment; it provides communities with jobs, sustenance, and a future. The effect of each and every tree will be felt for generations to come.

My Final Thoughts

All in all, I think it's pretty clear why I support this company and talk about them like I work there. Sure they make cool clothing, but they make it with a purpose. It's one of the most unselfish brands I've ever encountered and truly believe if every company did even half of what they do, this world would be a better place.