Throughout our global network, SGS is involved with a wide variety of sustainability initiatives that are helping to enable a better, safer and interconnected world. We will be examining some of these initiatives and how they create value to society. To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, we take a look at our annual TreeAthlon in the Philippines.
On April 22, 2020, people all over the world are coming together to celebrate Earth Day and show their support for actions that protect our planet and encourage it to thrive. People everywhere consider the threats to our planet’s health, and what can be done to mitigate them.
One of the gravest threats to the health of the Earth is deforestation. It endangers the habitats of numerous plant and animal species. In addition, by enabling more CO2 to be emitted into the atmosphere, it exacerbates the negative effects of climate change.
For six years so far, SGS employees in the Philippines have been helping to mitigate the effects of deforestation with an annual TreeAthlon. The first year, they planted saplings at Taguig National High School. They have planted saplings at the La Mesa Watershed Reservation for the following five consecutive years. This reservation supplies water to 12 million people and serves as the lungs of Metro Manila. Because of illegal deforestation, its unique plant and animal species have become endangered, and the land has become vulnerable to soil erosion and landslides.
In 2019, the TreeAthlon took place in June. Our employee volunteers worked with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), who provided advice on correct planting techniques and reported on the success of the previous years’ event: 90% of the saplings planted in 2018 survived. The DENR replaced those saplings in order to achieve conservation targets.
In 2019, SGS made a donation to DENR to improve the shed that served as a sapling nursery. Since its first TreeAthlon, SGS has donated PHP 50,000 in total, and 8,100 saplings have been planted. This has led to the equivalent of 147 tonnes of CO2 being absorbed every year.
Learn more about how we are creating value to society. Read our Sustainability Report >
About SGS
SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With more than 94,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.