Australian small business Akili has forged a partnership with WWF to help regenerate Australian forests.
Many readers may be surprised to learn that Australia is the world’s only developed country listed as a global deforestation hotspot (source: WWF), with an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 hectares of land cleared annually.
At that rate, excessive tree-clearing across Australia will cost the lives of as many as 750 million native animals within 10 years.
Akili, based in Brisbane, offers a range of sustainable products including shoes, bags, hats, scarves, jewellery, and homewares handmade using natural or recycled materials by artisan enterprises led by women in Brazil, Ecuador and Tanzania.
For every order Akili receives through its website, the company will adopt a tree on behalf of its customers. Shoppers will receive GPS coordinates once the seedling is planted, so they can know exactly where their tree is growing.
“Australian consumers are worried about the environment, and they actively want to be part of the solution,” says Akili’s co-founder Vlad da Cunha, explaining the sustainability initiative.
“As a small business focused on sustainable, ethical alternatives to everyday products, Akili Australia believes we are in a position to provide our customers with tangible opportunities to have a positive, visible impact on the Australian environment,” he said.
All of Akili’s products are produced and sold with positive social impact and a low cost to the environment.
“We are in business to connect Australian-conscious consumers with women-led artisan enterprises shaping a better future with ethical products in developing communities,” says da Cunha.
