The company EcoTree surfs on the European will to reach carbon neutrality in 2050 with selling trees.
Tania Korwin-Zmijowski and Gabriel Hilty
For 18 euros, anyone can invest in a tree, and profit from the wood sold after selective cuts.
“It’s obviously long term, let’s be honest, there are quicker and more efficient ways to make money. Nevertheless you double or triple your initial investment, possibly”, assures Thomas Norman Canguilhem, CEO of EcoTree.
Their idea to move from punitive ecology was born from the national recycling system.
“We realised that countries who have a well established recycling system like Denmark, have above 90% return of the used cans and bottles, versus below 50% for those who don’t. Even a small financial incentive can have a tremendous impact on how environmentally friendly people behave”.
Their idea to help businesses turn sustainability into an investment, not just a cost, remains an emerging idea. It aligns with the Green Deal target, a European political will to push for more carbon neutrality, ahead of 2050.
According to Thomas, “There’s still too much talking and not enough acting. We’re moving away from the classic donation philanthropic model… and turn it into something commercial that makes sense economically and financially.”
EcoTree’s business model depicts a broader message: embedding sustainable factors in our economy. This echoes the 2023 “Beyond Growth” conferences in the European Parliament, which called for post-growth models better suited to social and environmental realities—key pillars of the Green Deal.
This article is for a European public, most likely with an interest in the environment. The Danes could be interested in seeing how their own system has an impact on other countries. This short article could find its place in an environmental magazine such as Imagine Demain le Monde, a belgian media specialised on environment, or Reporterre, an online media based on green topics.