Cathay Pacific will be planting 20,000 mangrove trees in South-east Asia this year with its commitment to plant a tree for every flight ticket purchased in the region during the 1 Ticket, 1 Tree campaign held in 2022.
To commemorate Earth Day, which falls on April 22, volunteers comprising Cathay Pacific employees, trade agents and other partners will be gathering at various mangrove forests across South-east Asia in April and May to kickstart the planting of mangrove trees in their respective countries.
The first site in the Philippines’ Hagonoy, Bulacan will plant 8,000 mangrove trees with the remaining 12,000 trees to be planted in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.
1 Ticket, 1 Tree was launched in Thailand in 2021, with the aim of supporting local communities, restoring local habitats and driving climate resilience. The campaign was rolled out to the whole of South-east Asia in 2022, with the airline committing to plant a tree for every ticket purchased in the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore. The airline is working with local environment and community partners for the tree-planting effort.
Dominic Perret, regional general manager of Cathay Pacific in Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific, shared: “Since our pilot in 2021, interest in the 1 Ticket, 1 Tree initiative has been high among our employees, trade agents and business partners, many of whom have been helping to spread the word, enquiring about future campaigns, and volunteering their time to plant trees with us as well.
“We are happy to see conversations about sustainability being stimulated and hope more in the community will be inspired to come together to have a positive impact on our environment.”
Meanwhile, Cathay Pacific is working with Fostering Education & Environment for Development (FEED), and One Child, One Tree in the Philippines.
Anne-Marie Mananquil Bakker, director of partnerships, FEED, commented: “Preserving our mangrove forests is vital as it has a lasting positive impact on our local community’s livelihoods and food security, as well as the Philippine’s carbon mitigation and biodiversity targets. Such an endeavour requires a whole-of-community effort, and we are very happy to work with like-minded corporate partners such as Cathay Pacific to further this cause.”
