Spec-Savers plants for the future

Published in The Star, Pretoria News, The Mercury & Cape Times. Friday, May 27 2011 BUSINESS REPORT

Writer: Jacqueline Gray

OVER the past three years, Spec-Savers South Africa has funded the planting of one hectare of Spekboom thicket every month at the Baviaanskloof Sub Tropical Thicket Rehabilitation Project in the Eastern Cape. Through this activity, approximately 4 000 Spekboom and other species have been established on a monthly basis.

This sponsorship – which forms an integral part of Spec-Savers environmental corporate social responsibility programme – is being implemented by the Wilderness Foundation.

Through this programme, Spec-Savers hopes to help combat global climate change one plant at a time. Given how SA is the 13^th largest carbon contributor in the world, Spec-Savers believes the country has a vital role to play in reducing carbon emissions. Currently SA produces 344 590 metric tons of carbon per annum.

In an effort to bolster its Spekboom planting activities and encourage South Africans to go ‘green’, Spec-Savers has introduced an initiative whereby with every purchase of Climate Eyes lenses, Spec-Savers, in association with the Wilderness Foundation will plant a Spekboom tree. These lenses protect eyes from the harmful rays of the sun and automatically adjust to variable light conditions.

But why Spekboom specifically?

Spekboom has enormous carbon-sequestration capabilities. And, because it grows so well from cuttings, is ideal for thicket rehabilitation projects. Indeed, one hectare of Spekboom rich thicket is capable of offsetting harmful carbon emissions equivalent to that of an average sized subtropical forest.

And it’s not just the environment which has benefitted from the project. For the entire duration of the project to date, the Wilderness Foundation has employed eight previously disadvantaged individuals from the nearby impoverished Baviaanskloof community.

Since the start of the Spec-Savers funded project in 2009, just over 25 hectares of Spekboom and indigenous trees have been planted in the Baviaanskloof area. This has resulted in the sequestration of approximately 512 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e).

Should Spec-Savers renew their commitment to this project for a further three years, it is estimated that a total of 1398 tons of carbon would be sequestered. Based on these figures, if Spec-Savers were to stop planting at the end of the three year period in 2014, a further 466 tons per hectare would be sequestered from Spekboom already planted, over the next 45 years.

Ultimately based on a 2014 time period, a total of approximately 22 000 tons of CO2e will be sequestered by Spec-Savers over the next 50 years. Happily, in addition to this project, Spec-Savers has provided further funding to the Wilderness Foundation by way of a new KFML Holdings division, Preserving the Planet™ (PTP).

Products which are endorsed by PTP make a contribution to the Wilderness Foundation, enabling the organization to continue and expand upon their many worthy projects.

One such vital project is the ‘Forever Wild’ campaign which raises funds to help equip antipoaching units in and around rhino hotspots in South Africa. As of the 13th of June 2011, Spec-Savers, Execuspecs, ClearVision and Eyebar will be officially and fully committed to the PTP initiative.

Frames associated with the initiative will clearly display their PTP endorsement as wellas the contribution which will be made for each unit sold. Recycling bins will also be placed in stores, allowing customers to discard any unwanted frames. These in turn will be dismantled and recycled where possible.

Additionally, products which are endorsed will be listed on www.greenpals.com – a website dedicated to encouraging people to connect with one another via the common thread of our planet. The site also features environmental news and articles and steps people can take to help save our planet for generations to come.

The social aspect of the site allows people to interact on a one to one or group basis, form Greenpal families based on their PTP endorsed product purchases or simply find tips on greening.

Spec-Savers have also contractually commenced with the Green Leaf™ Environmental Standard “Committed 2 Efficiency” Programme (Green Leaf C2E) which acts as a framework for sustainability measurement.

The programme raises environmental awareness, inspires eco-efficiency changes, reduces operating consumption and costs and encourages environmentally responsible design, technologies and recyclability. It is Spec-Savers’ aim to be Green Leaf™ Environmental Standard certified within the next six months. Through doing so, Spec-Savers hopes to demonstrate that it is truly committed to environmentally sustainable best practice.

Spec-Savers trust that their commitment to preserving the planet through their various initiatives will act as a catalyst for others to make green policy part of their corporate responsibility, thus ensuring that collectively, we contribute to a greener future for all.

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