How our partnership is supporting global reforestation, biodiversity, local communities and long-term carbon reduction
Earlier, we shared the news that Roomex had partnered with JUST ONE Tree, supporting its work to restore ecosystems, reverse biodiversity loss and remove CO₂ from the atmosphere through global reforestation.
Now we can share the first numbers behind that partnership.
According to JUST ONE Tree, those trees are expected to remove approximately 1,621 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next 25 years.
For us, those numbers are important. However, the work they represent stretches much further. Our contribution forms part of restoration projects designed around the places, ecosystems and communities where planting can have a lasting impact.
JUST ONE Tree is a global non-profit that supports reforestation organisations in areas severely affected by deforestation.
Its approach centres on planting the right trees in the right places. Local communities are involved in planting and caring for native species, while projects can also create agricultural education, employment and sustainable sources of income.
Across the wider JUST ONE Tree portfolio, projects span countries including Kenya, Madagascar, Indonesia, Brazil, Nepal, Haiti, Mozambique, Peru, Mexico, Zambia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile, alongside mangrove and ocean restoration work.
The organisation and its partners have now planted over six million trees globally, with restoration sites spanning a portfolio of more than 20,000 hectares.
That wider footprint matters because reforestation has to respond to the ecosystem in which it takes place. JUST ONE Tree’s portfolio includes tropical and subtropical forests, grasslands, savannas, montane environments and mangroves. Each project has its own ecological conditions and restoration needs.
Carbon removal is one important part of reforestation, but a healthy forest performs several jobs at once.
Trees can provide habitats for wildlife, help stabilise soil, support water systems and contribute to the recovery of ecosystems damaged by deforestation. Restoring native vegetation can also help rebuild biodiversity over time.
JUST ONE Tree places local communities at the centre of its projects. Its reforestation partners hire and train community members to plant and care for trees, creating sustainable incomes alongside environmental restoration.
One story shared with Roomex came from Salome in Kenya, who explained that looking after seedlings had provided a source of income that helped her send her first-born son to college.
It is a reminder that a tree count can represent something much bigger on the ground. The environmental and social effects of restoration are closely connected.
The work supported through JUST ONE Tree also extends beyond terrestrial forests.
Part of its wider programme supports ocean restoration, including kelp regeneration work in the Philippines and Australia. Kelp forests provide habitats for marine life and play an important role in healthy ocean ecosystems.
JUST ONE Tree also supports mangrove restoration. Mangroves sit at the meeting point between land and sea, providing valuable habitats while helping protect coastlines and supporting surrounding communities.
It means the wider impact of the partnership can contribute to ecosystem restoration across forests, coastlines and oceans rather than focusing on one type of environment alone.
We also want to understand where environmental contributions go and what happens after they are made.
JUST ONE Tree’s projects can be explored through the Restor platform, which provides information about restoration sites and the environments in which they operate.
The portfolio currently contains 225 sites covering 20,867 hectares, with information available on factors including ecoregions, biomes, planting progress and environmental risks.
That gives us greater visibility into the wider restoration programme our contribution supports and makes it possible to follow the work beyond the initial donation.
For businesses, this kind of visibility is becoming increasingly important. Environmental commitments carry greater weight when they are supported by data and when progress can be followed over time.
Our work with JUST ONE Tree forms one part of Roomex’s wider approach to sustainability.
We also help customers understand the emissions generated through their own workforce travel.
Roomex’s Carbon Reporting service connects environmental reporting directly with accommodation booking data, giving businesses a clearer picture of the impact associated with workforce stays. Automated monthly reporting can help sustainability, procurement and finance teams build a reliable data trail for ESG reporting, audits and disclosures.
That visibility can also inform future travel decisions. Businesses can identify patterns across their accommodation programme and use the information alongside factors such as location, cost and traveller requirements when reviewing their travel policies.
For organisations with mobile workforces completing hundreds or thousands of room nights, bringing accommodation into carbon reporting can help close an important gap in their understanding of travel-related emissions.
Our first contribution has funded 5,263 trees, with an estimated 1,621 tonnes of CO₂ expected to be removed over the next 25 years, according to JUST ONE Tree.
We are proud of that start, and we are equally interested in what comes next.
Through our partnership, we are supporting work that grows forests, helps regenerate oceans, restores biodiversity and puts communities at the heart of ecosystem restoration. JUST ONE Tree also brings environmental education into classrooms, helping future generations understand why protecting the planet matters.
JUST ONE Tree is an actor in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and its work across diverse projects contributes towards all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
As our partnership continues, we will keep sharing the numbers and the projects behind them so our customers, team and partners can see how that impact develops.
From tracking the carbon impact of accommodation bookings to supporting restoration through our partnership with JUST ONE Tree, we are continuing to find practical ways to make sustainability part of workforce travel.
