Trees as a Corporate Gift: How It Works and Its Impact

Trees as a corporate gift means a company funds trees in the name of a client, employee or partner, who receives a certificate and can follow the planting project online. Local partners plant the trees in the next suitable season, so the gift pays for restoration and local work rather than delivering an object.

Done well, a tree gift is low-waste and comes with a story the recipient can follow. Done carelessly, it turns into a vague green claim. This guide covers what the recipient gets, how companies run tree gifting, how to word it honestly and when another gift is better.

What does the recipient get with a tree gift?

The recipient does not receive a sapling in the post. With Evertreen, a tree gift is funding for trees in a named project, planted with local partners and farmers. The recipient gets:

• A certificate in their name, usually sent by email.
• Online follow-up of their trees: the project location, photos and project updates as the work progresses.
• A modelled CO2 estimate for the trees over their lifetime. This is an estimate, not a measurement, and it is not a carbon credit.

Two points are worth making clear. Planting follows the local season, typically one to six months after funding, so a December gift may go into the ground months later. And recipients follow the project, not a map pin for a single tree. Companies in a custom partnership with Evertreen can request the coordinates of their planting sites.

Examples include the Vohidahy Forest in Madagascar, where the partner Tsiryparma also guards 8,021 hectares of eastern highland forest, mangrove reforestation in Kenya, and planting in the Quintana Roo region of Mexico with the partner Restoration Era. Across all projects, more than 3,680,000 trees have been funded through Evertreen, tree planting has been funded in 29 countries, and the work adds up to more than 460,000 working hours for local communities (estimated).

How do companies run tree gifting for clients and employees?

Most programmes follow one of three patterns.

One-off seasonal gifts

A company sends trees to clients at year end, after a conference or to close a project. Agree the recipient list, choose a project, set the number of trees per person and write the message. Nothing is shipped, so there are no sizes or customs forms, and remote recipients receive the gift at the same time as everyone else. Recipients' names and emails go to the provider, so check this fits your privacy notice.

Milestone gifts for employees

Trees can mark a first day, a work anniversary or a team target. Consistency matters: a tree for every new hire builds a record teams can share internally. It works alongside, not instead of, recognition people value directly, such as pay or time off.

Automated gifts triggered by business events

Sales teams often want to thank someone at a specific moment: after a demo or when a deal is won. Evertreen's CRM integrations for teams connect to tools such as HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and monday.com. When the chosen event happens, they fund a tree in the contact's name and email them a certificate. Zapier and Make connections are in early access. Agree the trigger and wording with the team first, so the gift feels intended rather than mechanical.

Tree gifts compared with other corporate gifts

No gift suits every relationship. Here is how common options compare.

How should you word a tree gift honestly?

Wording is where most problems start. A tree gift is a nature-based climate contribution with a modelled CO2 estimate. It is not a carbon credit or an offset, and it does not cancel out any of a company's Scope 1, 2 or 3 emissions. (Scope 1 covers direct emissions, Scope 2 emissions from purchased energy and Scope 3 other indirect emissions in the value chain.)

• Say "funded" and "planted with local partners". For example: "We have funded ten trees in your name in the Kenya mangrove project; local partners will plant them in the coming season."
• Label CO2 figures as estimates. Call it an estimated lifetime figure and point to the method, such as Evertreen's note on how tree CO2 is estimated.
• Set expectations on timing. Mention that planting follows the local season.
• Keep the gift separate from your footprint. Avoid phrases suggesting the trees cancel out the emissions of an event, a delivery or your company.

Addressing reported emissions is a separate decision. Certified carbon credits come from third-party projects under standards such as Verra or Gold Standard and are retired on public registries, with Evertreen acting as an intermediary. Under the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, such credits are reported separately and are not deducted from Scope 1, 2 or 3 totals.

When is another gift a better choice?

Consider something else when:

• The recipient's organisation restricts gifts. Public bodies and some regulated firms limit gifts and donations in an employee's name.
• People need something tangible. A team after a hard quarter may value time off or a bonus more than a certificate.
• You want to make a claim about your own emissions. A tree gift cannot support that claim. Measure and reduce first, then consider certified credits as a separate product.
• The gesture could look like a substitute for action. If your own environmental record is under scrutiny, a tree gift can read as a distraction.
• The recipient is unlikely to engage. Part of the value comes from following the project; for a one-off contact, a thank-you note may be enough.

Frequently asked questions

Is giving trees the same as offsetting carbon?

No. Trees given as a gift are a nature-based climate contribution with a modelled lifetime CO2 estimate. They are not carbon credits and do not reduce a company's reported Scope 1, 2 or 3 emissions. Certified carbon credits are a separate product, retired on public registries.

How long after the gift are the trees planted?

Planting follows the local season in each project, typically one to six months after funding. The certificate can be sent straight away, but the trees go into the ground when conditions are right, so say this in the gift message.

Can the recipient see exactly where their tree is?

Recipients follow their trees online through the project location, photos and updates, not a map position for an individual tree. Companies in a custom partnership can request the coordinates of their planting sites.

Can tree gifts be sent automatically from a CRM?

Yes. Integrations with CRMs such as HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive can fund a tree in a contact's name when something happens, such as a demo, a won deal or a new hire, and email them a certificate. The team chooses the trigger and the message in advance.

To choose a project and send trees to clients or colleagues, see Evertreen's tree-planting options.