Our Mission

To make a better world with every product sold.

Our Mission

See how you plant trees when you buy our products

100% trying to be GOOD

We do our best to have a positive impact on the world. We know we are not perfect, but we're doing our best to constantly review and improve everything we do so we can make our world a better place.

1 Card = 1 Tree

Since the the end of 2015 we have been planting 1 tree for every single product we sell. That's 1 tree planted for every single Greeting Card, Art Print, Notebook, Perpetual Calendar or Custom Design sold.

This was our goal from the first conception of this brand and we are so proud to say that we are achieving it thanks to our fantastic customers and reforestation partners!

We focus the tree planting on developing countries where we can make the biggest impact to both the environment and the local people. So far we have planted in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Senegal and our most recently planting is in Kenya.

All tree species planted are native to the to the locations they planted, they are planted, raised and protected towards permanent reforestation. The plantations are not to be cut down, but remain forever to thrive and create a naturally healthy regenerative ecosystem on which humans and wildlife can rely for a sustainable future.

How it Works

This is made possible by our reforestation partners who have nurseries and plantation sites located in the areas where the tree planting is needed most. We keep a strict tally of all products sold and donate enough money for the planting, raising and protection of at least 1 tree to permanent reforestation for every single product. The reforestation partners then use these funds to facilitate the reforestation for that many trees. Detailed verification such as tree planting, growth progress, survival rates and ecosystem health tracking with bioacoustics.

Employing Local People

Our reforestation partners employs the people of the local villages to run the nurseries, plant the trees and conduct verification. This provides much needed employment, education and lifts the local people out of poverty as the deforestation (often done out of desperation to survive) has destroyed their livelihoods. Now the forests ARE their livelihoods and provides them with a decent living wage which in turn gives them a dignified purpose and independence. The people are now also invested in protecting the trees once they are planted as a seed source so the process is self perpetuating. 

Local employment example:

Some local Malagasy people are forced to chop trees to sell at the local market as charcoal for cooking or wood for building shelters. They do this to try and earn enough money to feed themselves and their family - it is not always enough. These same people are now being employed by our reforestation partners to collect seeds for tree planting. Suddenly this same person who was struggling to feed their family chopping trees is getting paid a much better, healthy living wage to collect seeds from the same trees. So instead of cutting them down they have a vested interest in protecting the trees as a seed source!

We have been there!

Ensuring it Happens

All this is overseen and verified by our reforestation partners to ensure planting happens as it is promised, no corruption is present and that the new forests are protected. Thorough verification is reported to us periodically.

To really ensure it is having the effect we had envisaged we visited the Madagascar reforestation partner. We saw the nurseries, the forests and the local people planting the trees on sites in Madagascar. We witnessed the forests regenerating, wildlife returning, soil run off stabilising and local people being lifted out of poverty. The new forests are now the source of livelihood for surrounding communities so they seek to protect the trees rather than chop them down.

It is a holistic approach that empowers the local people of the land it seeks to help, the effect and transformation is truely moving.

planting at home

Planting in our own backyard,
New Zealand

Little Difference is now supporting reforestation in our home town of Tāhuna, Aotearoa (Queenstown, NZ).

We have partnered with Wakatipu Reforestation Trust and have begun financially contributing to their reforestation efforts. We also regularly attend their planting days to get our hands dirty and help plant the trees.

While we approach climate change and reforestation on a global level looking to make the biggest impact we can by also trying to lift our poorest people out of extreme poverty, we also appreciate that we must look after our own local environments and do our bit to reforest and re-wild our own little local corner of the world too.

This reforestation in New Zealand is over and above our 1 Card = 1 Tree commitment, mean we are still planting 1 tree in developing countries towards permanent reforestation for every single product sold. The New Zealand planting is just a little extra.

Materials for our Products

We use FSC approved 100% recycled card (FSC-C001869), 100% recycled envelopes and compostable cornstarch packaging with 100% recycled paper seals. So no extra trees have to be cut down to make our products.

Our goal is to make a net positive impact on the natural environment with the products we produce. Meaning the more stuff we sell the better it is for the earth.

Let's try and leave Earth better than we found it...

1 Card. 1 Tree.

Our Products

100% recycled post consumer waste card

100% recycled envelope

Beautiful soft texture on 300gsm card

Printed locally - NZ or UK depending on where they are sold

All materials in every product are compostable & plastic free

+ All the paper and card is recyclable

Printed with plant based inks

+ All products hand designed by Sophie

Want to learn more?

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