French hoteliers Accor announced today that they have planted a forest worth of trees; covering 141 hectares and have been planted in 64 different locations across the UK.

In the last 12 months alone 17,350 trees have been planted by Accor in the UK, spanning an area of 39 hectares or around 55 football pitches. These trees include 107 different species and have been planted in 64 different locations across the UK.

The trees have been planted as part of Accor’s global tree planting programme, Plant for the Planet. It forms part of its broader sustainable development programme, Planet 21, which sets out a number of commitments to improve sustainability and reduce the environmental impact of the group’s hotels.

“We will continue to plant trees around the world”

The Plant for the Planet programme has reforested an area equivalent to 2,500 football pitches around the world. Accor has planted over seven million trees in more than 375 locations across 29 countries.

Accor’s achievement comes as the Committee on Climate Change has made a powerful call for 30,000 hectares of woodland to be planted annually in the UK, more than double the new trees planted last year.

Thomas Dubaere, COO of Accor Northern Europe, said: “Planting more trees is not just an environmental challenge for the UK, it is a worldwide one. It is vital, therefore, that organisations with a global influence play a significant role in tackling this issue by investing their resources and raising awareness of the problem. That is why our Plant for the Planet programme is a global one, not country-specific, as we understand our role as a global business in improving the environment we live in. We are incredibly proud of the success the programme has had to date and we will continue to plant trees around the world.”

“Big ambition”

Pip Borrill, head of partnerships at the Woodland Trust, said: “We need new woodland like never before. Government has recently committed to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The expansion of the UK’s tree canopy cover from 13% to 17% is an essential part of the solution, including the recommendation to increase on-farm tree planting, but for the country to reach that target we need to see a three-fold increase in current woodland creation levels.

“It’s a big challenge but we have big ambition and our partnership with Accor is an important part of that. We are grateful for the contribution they make in getting more trees in the ground, trees that will eat carbon, improve soil health and water quality, provide shelter and shade for livestock, a crop for farmers, a home for wildlife, and a space for us to breathe.”