Ladies and Gentlemen
Impact Zurich has had a successful 2019. Several thousand Impact steel bottles were sold to communities, associations and companies. Impact Zurich has set itself the goal of getting the Swiss population to embrace reuse. Products such as the reusable lunch box have already been relaunched. This is an extension of our product range for our customers, whose needs are our top priority in terms of sustainability.
Our activities have not only led to many people meeting their daily drinking water needs with high-quality and free tap water from our reusable bottles to reduce plastic bottle waste, Impact Zurich now also makes an environmental commitment for each product sold.
Our project – For every Impact Bottle sold we plant a tree
For every bottle sold in 2019, we were able to transfer one dollar to our partner organization "One Tree Planted" (OTP). The organization guarantees that a tree is planted with every dollar. OTP is a globally active, non-profit, climate-protecting and non-profit organization in the USA. This non-profit organization carries out professional plantings of regional tree species at various locations around the world several times a year. The trees are planted by volunteers and committed helpers. The trees are planted where they previously disappeared for various reasons such as agriculture, the timber industry, habitat development or natural events (forest fire, drought, etc.). Where your tree is/was planted depends on where it is most urgently needed.
WHY ARE TREES SO IMPORTANT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
Trees help clean our air, filter drinking water, and provide habitat for over 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity. Forests absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere and provide jobs for over 1.6 million (probably more like billion) people.
AIR
Healthy, strong trees act as carbon sinks, absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and reducing the impacts of climate change. Trees absorb harmful pollutants with their leaves and bark and release oxygen for breathing. In urban environments, trees absorb pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, ozone and carbon monoxide and sweep up particles such as dust and smoke.
WATER
Trees play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters such as floods and landslides. Their intricate root system acts as a filter, removing pollutants and slowing the absorption of water into the soil. This process also prevents harmful bank erosion and reduces the risk of oversaturation. According to the United Nations, a mature, evergreen tree can capture more than 15,000 liters of water annually.
BIODIVERSITY
A single tree can be home to hundreds of species of insects, fungi, moss, mammals and plants. Forest animals require different habitats and would have no home without trees.
CLIMATE
Trees help cool the planet by absorbing and storing harmful greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide in their trunks, branches and leaves and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere. In cities, trees can reduce overall temperatures by as much as eight degrees Celsius. With more than 50% of the world's population living in cities - and this is expected to rise to 66% by 2050 - overheating is becoming a real threat. Fortunately, a mature tree can absorb an average of 24 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year, making cities a much healthier place to live if there are enough trees.
We would like to thank you for helping to protect our planet by purchasing our environmentally friendly products and planting trees as a result!
We look forward to any feedback and wish you a successful, happy and sustainable year 2020.
Best regards
The Impact Zurich team