Our Ecological Impact: The S’wheat Forest

From tropical rainforests to British woodlands, the trees on our planet are depleting at a rapid rate. This is primarily due to global warming igniting forest fires (alongside man-made forest fires), illegal wildlife trading, and logging to make room for livestock and crops, as well as for resources like paper. In fact, 10 million trees are cut down each year for agriculture and material sourcing alone.

Trees are an invaluable natural resource, and one that we certainly take for granted. Not only do they provide us with oxygen and store carbon from the atmosphere, they also provide a significant source of water to a third of the world’s biggest cities, and are home to a multitude of species, many of which are now endangered or on the cusp of extinction.

As a social enterprise, S’wheat is passionate about keeping our environmental initiatives at the forefront of our mission. Our plant-based reusable bottles give back to the planet through the unique, earth-conscious materials and energy efficient manufacturing process, but to top this off, we plant a trackable native tree with every order and remove plastic from the ocean.

Ecologi

We are proud to work with Ecologi, a dedicated non-profit social enterprise and B corporation that was created so that individuals and businesses alike can take climate action through planting trees, removing carbon from the atmosphere, and funding wildlife restoration projects. Forest loss contributes around 5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year around the globe, which is why Ecologi aims to be responsible for cutting the world’s emissions in half by the year 2040.

Since the idea first appeared in late 2018, Ecologi has:

✓ planted 51 million trees

✓ reduced 2.3 million tonnes of carbon 

✓ been joined by 37,434 eco-minded members

✓ donated 85% of funds towards climate projects including wind and solar power projects - 15% goes towards managing Ecologi and transactions

It is clear that great environmental initiatives such as this are exactly what our earth needs to restore the health of our environment and save our ecosystems. The Amazon Rainforest is one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, meaning it absorbs and stores the carbon that we put out into the atmosphere. It’s also home to the world’s most biologically diverse ecosystems, which is why it’s such a shock that it has been found to now emit even more carbon than it absorbs as a result of climate change, wildfires, and deforestation.

S’wheat’s Impact

S’wheat is proud to have worked with several non-profit organisations whose missions align with our own, either through donation, collaboration, or co-branding. So far, we have funded the planting of over 8 thousand trees and 6 different ecological restoration projects. The majority of the S’wheat forest has gone towards projects in Madagascar and Mozambique, with over 3 thousand trees planted towards a reforestation project in Mozambique and nearly 4 and a half thousand mangrove trees in Madagascar.

Mangrove trees play a critical role in managing the effects of climate change, including storms and the rise of sea levels, but they also capture large amounts of carbon. Per acre, they absorb and store four times as much carbon than tropical rainforests! Mangrove trees are also vital to biodiversity, with numerous species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals residing in mangrove ecosystems.

 

S’wheat’s tree planting statistics

Aside from the carbon that will be reduced from our S’wheat forest, we have offset 2.5 tonnes of carbon through other funded projects - equivalent to over 6 thousand miles driven in a car.

 

We have worked alongside and donated to environmental charities including the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust and WWF, as well as using our co-branding to help like-minded organisations like ClientEarth, who work to implement systemic change within the law to fight for climate change. 

Co-Branding with S’wheat

We are a carbon negative organisation, which means we offset more carbon emissions than we produce. S’wheat wants to help other, larger companies to do the same, which is why we are so efficient and thorough with our co-branding process. Our corporate branded bottles allow us to work with these companies to make progress towards their CSR goals by offsetting emissions and minimising plastic waste in the workplace. 

Our process:

• Choose your bottle from one of our four distinct colours or choose a Pantone colour so we can match to your branding.
• Send us your logo and we will create a mock up image for you.
• We engrave your bottle with high-quality laser engraving or we can offer a colour printed logo.
• We will plant a minimum of 50 trees in your company’s name and remove plastics from the ocean.

Interested in working with us? Enquire about our co-branding here, or email us at hello@swheatbottle.com.

Our innovative plant-based material mimics the structure of plastic, yet is made from sustainably sourced bamboo fibre and wheat stalk. It has a three times higher tensile strength than steel and weighs nearly half as much - and would you believe it takes just 5% of the energy to manufacture it! S’wheat’s naturally insulated reusable bottles are the perfect gift for employees and clients, friends and family, as they can be used to bring your ice-cold water out on an adventure or for a nice hot drink on a long journey.

It’s the perfect way to make your company so much more environmentally sound by discouraging the use of single-use plastic bottles and disposable coffee cups. We are an Edinburgh based brand, so for the rest of you Scottish companies, you are most likely aware of the ban on single-use food containers that was implemented earlier in the year. That’s why we have launched a brand new product from the same great material: the S’wheat lunchbox and cutlery set.

Stuck on branded corporate gifts for Christmas this year? We are now offering gift boxes of promotional branded merchandise which will include the classic S’wheat reusable bottle and the brand new S’wheat reusable lunch box, with a sturdy portable cutlery set included.