Environment

Nordic Wristbands’ journey to net zero with Stand For Trees scheme 

Featured image credit: Johnny Africa on Unsplash

Nordic Wristbands, a Finland-headquartered provider of event access control products, has introduced a partnership with the Stand For Trees scheme, which will see around 7,000 ancient trees protected. 

The new agreement with Stand For Trees is part of the company’s journey to net zero, by compensating the carbon dioxide emissions caused by fabric wristband and smart tag manufacturing.

Based on production volumes from last year, Nordic has predicted that around 7,000 trees will be protected from destruction, as part of a wider project in the 250,000-hectare nature reserve of Mai Ndombe, in the People’s Republic of Congo. The project also focuses on education, healthcare and access to clean drinking water for roughly 30,000 local residents.

The area is also an important habitat for forest elephants and bonobos, an endangered ape.

Balancing the amounts of polyester and PVC used in Nordic Wristbands equates to 15,063 full bags of mixed waste recycled; 120,000kg of mixed recycled; 13,190 light bulbs replaced with LEDs; two railcars of coal unburned; 1,390,000km cycled instead of driving a car with a petrol engine and 75 petrol cars removed from traffic for one year.

For every 1,000 wristbands purchased, two ancient trees will be saved.

Nordic chief executive Jone Nuutinen said: “Over the years, we have introduced several organic and recycled material options for festival wristbands and consumables in general, which all have found their dedicated groups of users.

“While we promote these as the best way to protect the planet, a significant number of events still rely on the cheaper virgin polyester products, so we decided to find a project where our production-related CO2 emissions could be offset in an effective way. We are proud that with every 1,000 wristbands a festival buys from us, they save two ancient rainforest trees. Not bad.”

Tom Herman, CEO of Stand for Trees, added: “At Stand For Trees, we applaud Nordic Wristbands for taking bold action toward carbon neutrality and making a tangible environmental impact. By offsetting the carbon footprint of their wristbands, they have demonstrated leadership in the events industry, showing that every element of event production can play a role in reducing emissions and mitigating climate change.

“Through their contribution to Stand For Trees, Nordic Wristbands has effectively offset the polyester and plastics used in their wristbands and has made a significant impact in preserving critical forests, like Mai Ndombe, which provide essential habitat for wildlife and livelihoods for local communities. We are proud to partner with a brand that prioritises sustainability and takes holistic action towards creating a brighter future for all.”