OVO surpasses COP26 commitment as it celebrates 3 million tree planting milestone

OVO surpasses COP26 commitment as it celebrates 3 million tree planting milestone

• OVO announces it has hit its tree planting milestone of 3 million trees – setting a new UK energy supplier record and surpassing its own planting targets
• The company expects to plant 4m by Spring 2023 
• OVO is working hard to combat deforestation as Global Forest Watch estimates that in 2010 the United Kingdom had 3.55 million hectares (Mha) of natural forest, extending over 20% of its land area. In 2021 alone, it lost 5.25kha of this. 

16th August 2022, London: In celebration of Biodiversity Day at COP27, OVO announces it has planted three million trees in the UK since 2015 –  the largest amount achieved by a UK energy supplier. OVO has now committed to plant one million more in the next tree planting season in its continued dedication to restore nature and create green spaces in communities.

OVO hit the milestone planting on average over 32 trees per square mile across the UK at the end of the last planting season. This was in line with its commitment to plant 1m more at the 2021 COP26 Climate Change Summit. 

OVO surpassed its tree planting target with the support of its partners The Woodland Trust and The Conservation Volunteers, who ensure the right tree is always planted at the right time, and in the right place. Working with partners, over 76,000 volunteers are getting involved across the UK to not only build green spaces, but also to spread awareness of the importance of tree planting to combat  the climate crisis. Each tree planted will save 60kg of carbon, which equates to 180,000 tonnes over 10 years*.

OVO has also onboarded a new partner for the next tree planting season. Chimney Sheep will rewild an area of land in the UK as part of their Buy Land Plant Trees initiative. Strong advocates of both the community and environmental benefits of tree planting, they will plant 50,000 native species in Cumbria on behalf of OVO this year with plans to plant more in 2023, creating a large woodland space for biodiversity to thrive.

Carbon reduction is one element to Plan Zero – OVO’s sustainability plan to become a net zero business by 2035. Tree planting is one of the best natural ways to achieve this as it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and locks it away for many years, whilst also having positive effects on biodiversity and communities.

Alex Doorey, VP of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability, OVO: 

“Tree planting is a key part of the UK’s carbon reduction plan, along with protecting our countryside. We’ll build on this great milestone, and continue to support environmental protection in areas like Cumbria.”

Douglas Palarm, Director of Partnerships and Fundraising, The Conservation Volunteers said:

“We continue to be incredibly proud of our partnership with OVO and all we have achieved across the UK since 2015. We look forward to working with Chimney Sheep to make a positive impact on climate, wildlife and communities.”

Sally Phillips, Founder, Chimney Sheep, said:

“We’re excited to be partnering with OVO. 20% of our profit goes to buying land and planting trees, and our motivation to plant trees here in Cumbria is personal: not only do these trees help to sequester carbon as part of a larger climate change action, they also help mitigate local environmental damage caused by flooding.”

Pioneers of nature-based solutions, in 2021 OVO and other British businesses called on Lord Goldsmith to support a legally binding tree target. The government’s current target is to plant at least 30,000 hectares of trees across the UK per year by 2025, totalling about 1.5 billion trees by 2050; binding this in law reinforces political commitment to ensuring it’s met. The petition surpassed 10,000 signatures in a matter of months. 

Additionally, OVO Foundation, OVO’s charity arm, planted Scotland’s first Wee Forest with Earthwatch earlier this year. It forms part of a network of nature-rich green spaces across Glasgow as a living legacy and celebration of COP26.

Ends

Notes to Editors

Applications are now open for a free tree planting pack from TCV.

* Source can be found here.  According to research by the US EPA, the average tree absorbs 60kg of carbon over a 10-year period. Multiplied by 3m, that’s 180,000 tonnes of carbon saved over time. 

For more information please contact:

[email protected]

About OVO

OVO was founded in 2009 and redesigned the energy experience to be fair, effortless, green and simple for all customers. OVO was awarded Company of the Decade at the BusinessGreen Leaders’ Awards and has won multiple awards, including Innovation Project of the Year, for investing in the market leading technology, customer service operations and digital products to help customers cut their carbon emissions. OVO is on a mission through its sustainability strategy Plan Zero to tackle the most important issue of our time; the climate crisis, by bringing our customers with us on the journey towards zero carbon living. OVO Energy has committed to being a net zero carbon business and achieve bold science-based carbon reduction targets, while helping customers reduce their household emissions at the same time. 

About The Conservation Volunteers

Free trees can be ordered here: https://www.tcv.org.uk/communities/i-

dig-trees/ 

• Key phrase: Get involved in I Dig Trees – TCV’s tree planting programme that supports

OVO Energy’s Planting Promise About The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) www.tcv.org.uk

We are The Conservation Volunteers. We connect people and green spaces to deliver

lasting outcomes for both. 

We do this by bringing people together to create, improve and care for green spaces.

From local parks and community gardens to Local Nature Reserves and Sites of Special

Scientific Interest; from school grounds and hospital grounds to waterways, wetlands and

woodlands; we connect people to the green spaces that form a vital part of any healthy,

happy community.

By 2025 TCV will have worked with volunteers and communities across the UK to grow

our tree planting to 5 million trees.

Our team of dedicated, passionate staff and volunteers work with communities across

England, Northern Ireland and Scotland and, through our Community Network, we

support local community groups across the UK.

On average:

• TCV works with 79,000 people
• Delivers 90,000 workdays
• Transforms 1,245 green spaces
• We also create a further 42,500 days of green space connections through occasional

volunteering, training courses, nature engagement and education sessions

• Our volunteers: Rate their overall experience of TCV as good or excellent (99%) Are more connected to nature (90%) Have learnt new skills (90%) Feel more connected to

their local community (91%) Feel their well-being has improved (95%)

About Chimney Sheep

Chimney Sheep Ltd was set up in 2012 by former ecologist, Sally Phillips. Based in Maryport, Cumbria, the product came about with the realisation that open chimneys cause an enormous amount of heat loss. Thus, was born the Chimney Sheep® – a chimney draught excluder made from Herdwick wool. Since then the Chimney Sheep has seen huge popularity with home-owners across the UK and USA. The product has won numerous environmental and business awards including the Ends Green Economy Award and the Buildings & Energy Efficiency Awards, most recently being awarded a BBA Certification and a Queen’s Award for Enterprise. Over the years, Chimney Sheep Ltd has expanded its offering, curating our own range of household and garden items that are both practical and effective. Where possible products are made from recycled, sustainable or natural materials. The shop has everything from draught excluders to insulation, laundry products to natural gardening items. 20% of the profits from each purchase made with Chimney Sheep goes towards the company’s Community Interest Company called Buy Land Plant Trees, where they buy agriculturally useless land and plant trees within Cumbria.