Alina Oprea • 10 August, 2023 at 5:20 PM
Philips Romania and the Viitor Plus Association are planting 5,000 trees in Dolj County this year, exceeding the "Planting Together" campaign goal by approximately 33%. In March, at the start of the 2023 edition of the campaign, Philips Personal Health set out to plant 3,333 trees, one for every order of at least RON250 (€50) placed on the company's website. At the beginning of August, 2 months before the end of the program, Philips ended up supplementing the number of trees planted with more than 1,600 saplings.
The first 3,333 saplings of sage, acacia, carob, and cork oak were planted this spring in Dobrotești, Dolj County, on a degraded land that is undergoing desertification. The species were chosen following soil sampling, taking into account both the importance of the soil and the importance of recreating an ecosystem in that area.
"Thus, we can say that at the end of this year, part of the southeastern part of the country will enjoy 5,000 new trees, that is, one hectare of new forest," announced Philips.
The 1,667 additional saplings will be planted in autumn, in November, also in Dolj County, in Leu locality, on degraded land prone to wildfires.
"At Philips, sustainability is at the center of our interests. We want to start a change – for the environment, for consumers, and ultimately for us. With this mission in mind, we went to support the <<Plantăm Împreună>> initiative, together with our reliable collaborators, Viitor Plus Association. Thus, with the help of our customers, partners, and employees, we now manage, for the second year in a row, to help reforest the southeastern area of the country. The involvement of our customers was crucial because they directly contributed to the fulfillment of our goal, which we even managed to exceed in 2023. For every order over RON250 (€50) placed on philips.ro, they were happy both Philips care products and an extra benefit – a tree planted with the purchase", said Andra Stuparu, Region Leader for Consumer Direct & Marketing, Central Eastern Europe.
2022 marked the start of the "Plantăm Împreună" campaign, an afforestation action for the benefit of rural communities in southern Romania, an area severely affected by extreme weather phenomena caused by climate change. In 2022, Philips and the Viitor Plus Association managed to plant a total of 8,156 saplings of acacia, salvia, carob, and cork oak in Dobrotești commune in Dolj county, almost 2 hectares of forest.
The campaign does not end with the planting of seedlings. With the help of the Viitor Plus Association, the planted saplings will be periodically checked and maintained for 3-7 years, to ensure their healthy growth, as well as the step-by-step regeneration of Romania's forests.
"We are very happy that we can continue the <<Planting Together>> campaign with Philips Romania and that we have a common mission - that of reforesting Romania, tree by tree. Only through such initiatives and everyone's involvement can we contribute to a healthier, greener, and more beautiful environment both for us and for future generations", said Teia Ciulacu, Founder and President, Viitor Plus Association.