It's almost a decade since ŠKODA launched its positive ecological initiative to plant one tree for every car sold in the Czech Republic – and the company is meeting its target. The scheme aims to balance carbon emissions while also involving staff and, at the close of 2015, the team at the Mladá Boleslav production site had the honour of planting the landmark 500,000th tree – fittingly, a silver spruce.
The project ties in nicely with the company's strategy for sustainable development, which aims to make the car manufacturer 25 percent greener by 2018. Over 50 towns and villages across the Czech Republic have benefited from the environment-improving evergreens. Staff actively participate in the event, by searching for suitable locations (often around ŠKODA’s factory and plants) as well as planting the trees. Their involvement strengthens their connection to both workplace and immediate environment.
“We have brought an active and visible contribution to sustaining the environment,” says Bohdan Wojnar, member of the Board of Directors responsible for HR management. “Every single tree is a symbol of the ŠKODA brand’s success.”
The initiative seems to be taking root. This year the company broke its annual record, with 70,200 new Czech trees planted.
