CO2 EMISSIONS FACTS

- Each tree can consume up to 0.8 tons of CO2 during its 40-year lifetime.
- A normal person can produce up to 2.5 tons of CO2 every year.
- A small van will produce up to 3 tons of CO2 a month.

Aramex unveils a new tree-planting initiative in the Red Sea port of Aqaba as the latest step towards carbon neutrality.

It's an ambitious goal for any company. For one in the logistics industry, where planes, trains and automobiles provide the means of facilitating your service, it might seem little short of impossible. But Aramex is determined to become the world's first carbon neutral logistics company, and certainly one of the first in the Middle East in any industry. It's part of the company's commitment to sustainability, and to begin the process of offseting the effects of the fossil fuels consumed in the company's operations.

In Jordan, this process has begun with an expansive tree-planting initiative in Aqaba, in the far south of the country, close to the city's airport. By the end of June, in a specially designated reservation, 10,000 new trees will not only help absorb damaging CO2, but provide homes for thousands of migrating birds making their way up the Great African Rift Valley. "We worked hand in hand with the Jordan Society for Sustainable Development,"says Raji Hattar, Aramex's Chief Sustainability Officer. "When the land was made available to us, we established that we could put 10,000 trees in the area. Based on international carbon footprint standards, we have calculated that each tree will compensate for 1,500km of our executives' business air travel in its 40-year lifetime. That's basically 0.8 tons of CO2."

There are more environmental benefits to the Aqaba site than simply as a means of offsetting carbon emissions. The trees will, according to Raji Hattar, help stave off the process of desertification that is an ever-present danger in the sun-scorched, salt-laden plain north of the Red Sea coast. And Aramex isn't
simply planting the trees, it is providing the irrigation solution, too - from the pipes to the recycled grey water from the city.

A third major factor in the selection of this site is that it is a major resting place point for migrating birds. "The site has largely replaced Azraq as Jordan's main stopping point for birds on their annual migration," Raji continues. "The reservation is already an important bird observatory, and this will help to sustain their numbers. The trees have been sourced either from local nurseries, to ensure they are appropriate for the climate and soil, or imported especially."

There are ten distinct species of trees thatwill make up the new woodland, including acacia, eucalypts and buckthorn. At the time of going to print, 5,000 trees are already in place in the special Aqaba reservation, and beginning the drive to carbon neutrality