How to become a tree planting partner
If you work for a tree-planting organization that is interested in planting with us, we’d love to hear from you! Here are some FAQs to show what kind of tree-planting partners we’re looking to work with.
What kind of organizations does Ecosia partner with?
We usually work with partners that have at least three years of tree-planting experience and who focus on planting trees in a way that benefits both nature and people. Since transparency towards our users is key, we only partner with organizations that can commit to monitoring their trees and supplying planting proofs. We have no preference with regard to our partners' legal structure as long as they are legally allowed to make service or loan contracts.
What kind of projects are you looking for?
We work with projects where trees are planted in view of benefitting nature and people in a direct way. When the projects focus on people, we expect local communities to benefit from the trees directly, for example when the trees are planted on their land. Our collaborations are usually enhanced when beneficiaries contribute a fair share of money or time to the projects. We are also keen on projects that make use of innovative planting approaches to scale tree planting and reduce costs, and are always open to new ideas. We are also interested in investment projects that are scalable and socially sustainable.
What kinds of trees should Ecosia’s partners plant?
Native trees are strongly preferred; exotic species are only applied in agroforestry systems when they do not create monocultures.
What’s the size of projects Ecosia normally works with?
Ideally, our project partners have the capacity to plant over 500,000 trees per year (although it does not have to be in the first year).
What kind of contract agreements do you work with?
We usually sign either Service Provision Agreements or Loan/Investment Agreements with our tree planting partners. Loan and investment agreements are signed in instances when our partners generate an income with the trees planted and/or intercrops. Examples can range from tree products such as cacao or moringa, or intercropping pineapple or lemongrass, for example, with trees.
What is a Service Provision Agreement?
It is an agreement between Ecosia and its partner in which both parties jointly stipulate how many trees the partner will plant for us and at what price. We pay the partner for their tree planting services, and in turn Ecosia owns the claim to the trees planted.
What is a Loan Agreement?
It is an agreement between Ecosia and its partner in which we grant a loan or provide equity to execute a tree planting project. The loan is paid back according to an agreed timeframe. When Ecosia invests in projects (equity) the return is calculated in trees. In other words we expect partners (companies) to invest a share of their profits into additional trees.
How should I submit a project proposal?
If you are interested, please use this link to fill out our project proposal form. It should only take a few minutes. If you want, you may also attach a proposal or concept project idea, but this is not required at this stage. You may also simply provide a description of the approach that you want to use.
What should I expect after submitting a project proposal?
Once you have submitted this form, your project will automatically enter our database. Once in our database, our tree planting officers will review your proposal. We aim to do so within four weeks. If your idea matches our objectives and needs, we will contact you to set up a 30-minute call. Unfortunately, due to a high volume of requests, we cannot reach out to every applicant with individual feedback. If you don't hear from us, this means your project proposal may not meet our criteria.
If you do not meet all of our criteria, but most of them are within your reach, we encourage you to still complete the project proposal form.