(June 19, 2008) Inspired by Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for 2004 who has planted more than 30 million trees in 12 African countries since 1977, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), recognizing that there are many tree planting campaigns throughout the world, proposes to pool these efforts, encouraging individuals, communities and organisations, in the public and private sector, to pledge to plant trees via the campaign website www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign The initial target was to plant at least a billion (100,000,000) trees before the end of 2007. The campaign has been a success and over two billion trees have been planted. As a result a new target has been set: one tree per inhabitant of the Earth, equivalent to seven billion trees throughout the world before the next UN conference on climate change, to be held in Copenhagen at the end of 2009. 

On the campaign’s official website, tree-planting pledges and information on the trees planted (place, date, species, etc.) can be entered. The campaign encourages the planting of indigenous trees or trees appropriate to the local environment, and the website offers information and practical advice on tree planting, reforestation and other related matters.

Torraspapel, part of the Lecta Group, has initially participated by providing the paper necessary to publicise the project. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has chosen Creator coated fine paper to launch the Plant for the Planet campaign in Spain and Latin America. This action falls within the framework of Torraspapel’s commitment to social responsibility and environmental sustainability as reflected in its mission and corporate values. To learn more about its activities as a socially responsible organisation, please visit the Environment and CSR section of our website www.torraspapel.