Image credit Ben Gerrish

Speedo, the world’s leading swimwear brand, planted two million mangrove trees in 2021 and has pledged to plant a further two million in 2022 as part of its Trees for Clean Seas project.

According to COP26, Mangrove forests are the ultimate nature-based solutions for both climate change mitigation and adaptation. They capture and store carbon dioxide – coastal blue carbon – and they do this at rates far greater than most tropical rainforests. Protecting and restoring mangroves is a highly efficient and effective way to simultaneously reduce GHG emissions, and supporting adaptation to climate change.

The pledge reveal comes following the COP26 Costal Blue Carbon Panel, which was held on Saturday 6th November and highlighted the vital role of mangroves for climate change mitigation and adaption.

Trees for Clean Seas is the first stage of Speedo’s integrated plan to aggressively reduce carbon emissions across the brands supply chain and become carbon neutral by 2030. The trees will be planted across Madagascar in partnership with Eden Reforestation, which aims to reduce extreme poverty and restore healthy forests by employing local people to plant millions of trees every year.

Image credit Ben Gerrish

Water loving Mangrove trees are also able to create habitats for a variety of sea life and have been known to curb natural disasters such as tsunamis. They are also 10 times better at absorbing CO2 than other trees, making them the perfect partner to help tackle the global climate crisis and rectify the harmful effects of deforestation.

Kev McFadyen, Global Brand Director of Speedo said: “Working with Eden Reforestation to plant four million mangrove trees will help restore these wonderful natural habitats, whilst simultaneously offsetting carbon emissions along the way”.

“Our Trees For Clean Seas project plants mangrove trees as part of Speedo’s wider commitment to being a sustainable business. We have set ourselves the target of being carbon neutral by 2030 at the very latest, and through this partnership we are well on track to meet that target."