Sustainability May 26, 2022
Woodchuck USA Plants 3 Million Trees
The St. Paul, MN-based supplier plants a tree for each of the USA-made custom wood products it sells.
Woodchuck USA (asi/98139) has a simple, if lofty, goal: to reforest the planet through a robust “buy one plant one” philosophy. And this year, the St. Paul, MN-based promotional products supplier got one step closer to that goal, celebrating its 3 millionth tree planted.
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Woodchuck USA held a celebration this Earth Day to mark its 3 millionth tree planted.
“We’re literally changing the planet,” says Ben VandenWymelenberg, founder and CEO, noting that it’s gratifying to know that his small company of 40 employees is making such a positive impact.
Woodchuck USA, which has been in business for about a decade, manufactures an array of customized wood products at its Minnesota facility – everything from journals and flasks to luggage tags and charcuterie boards. For every product sold, the supplier plants a tree. Products come with a card that includes a code, which end-users can enter on Woodchuck’s website to learn exactly where their tree was planted. It’s all part of the supplier’s three-tier mission: bringing nature back to people, jobs back to America and quality back to products, according to VandenWymelenberg.
Wood, when managed correctly, is one of the most renewable resources, and Woodchuck’s reforestation mission amplifies that sustainability, VandenWymelenberg notes. “We’re planting about 10,000 trees for every one tree we use,” he adds.
@theresahegel_asi Woodchuck USA makes custom wood products in Minnesota. For every item sold, they plant a tree. Closing in on 3 million trees planted, according to the CEO. #ASIOrlando #PromotionalProducts #engraving #PlantATree #sustainable ♬ original sound - Theresa Hegel
Ben VandenWymelenberg, Woodchuck USA founder and CEO, discusses his company’s products and philosophy at this year’s ASI Orlando show.
Woodchuck USA launched its “buy one plant one” initiative a couple of years after the company was founded. At the time, VandenWymelenberg says, the company was selling about 25 units a day, so it seemed like a simple matter for the employees to handle the planting themselves. “Planting a couple of thousand trees is actually really hard,” he recalls. “Twenty people working an entire Saturday only planted 1,500 trees.”
So, the supplier quickly realized it needed to partner with various organizations, including the Minnesota Department of National Resources, National Forest Foundation, Eden Reforestation Projects and Trees for Survival. Thanks to those partnerships, the company has planted trees on six continents. VandenWymelenberg adds that about half of his job at Woodchuck is working on contracts with various organizations to ensure that it lives up to its mission of planting a tree for every product sold.
Eventually, Woodchuck would love to get to the point where someone could pick the specific location they want their tree planted, then watch the planting via satellite feed – though VandenWymelenberg admits that goal is likely five to 10 years in the future. Still, corporate clients who are planting more than 5,000 trees with Woodchuck can pick their preferred planting site. For example, Land Rover wanted trees planted in Canada, and Zippo wanted to focus on reforestation in California to help bring nature back to areas devastated by wildfires. “We’ll get them the sites they’re looking for,” VandenWymelenberg says.
Planting 3 million trees was a significant milestone for the supplier, but VandenWymelenberg is already focused on his next goal: “I want to be at 15 million trees.”
What Can You Do?
Since 1990, about 420 million hectares of trees have been deforested, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Here are a few ways the promo industry can help with reforestation.
- Seek out products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an organization devoted to sustainable forest management.
- Build tree-planting initiatives into promo campaigns. Woodchuck will plant a tree for each of its products sold. Other suppliers, like Illini (asi/62190), have reforestation giveback programs with certain product lines.
- Volunteer to plant a tree. Nonprofits and conservation organizations across the country hold tree-planting events throughout the planting season. Find a group near you, roll up your sleeves and pick up a shovel to help.
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