Capitalism linked to sustainability

Imagine you could save our planet by simply drinking a cup of coffee. Or eats sushi. Or give someone a birthday present.

What if we tell you that this is possible?

It’s called caritalism – the art of combining charitable work with a capitalist system. Or to put it very simply: you are saving our planet and doing nothing different to what you already do every day.

Too good to be true? No, it’s not. In fact, caritalism is already anchored in some areas of our lives.

In this article, we show you how we can make caritalism a global reality together. (It’s much easier than you think). But now let’s get to the basics.

What is caritalism?

Caritalism is a so-called portmanteau word and is a combination of the words ‘charitable work’ and ‘capitalism’.

In its simplest form, caritalism combines the best features of our capitalist system with the sustainable ethos of charitable work to give our planet a future.

Caritalism makes a capitalist lifestyle much more sustainable without changing much. There are no billion-euro promises, no petitions and no demands to change your lifestyle. Instead, let’s save our planet together by simply carrying on as usual. Because right now, our planet needs our help more than ever before.

Here is an example of caritalism. You buy sushi for lunch, just like you do every day. The only difference is that the company where you buy the sushi (such as I love Sushi) now has a cool agreement with us: We plant a tree when a selected sushi roll is ordered. The more sushi rolls are sold, the more trees are planted. This is capitalism combined with charitable work.

Whether you buy a coffee, use public transport or book a short vacation, you are making the planet a better place at the same time. This happens automatically when you buy from companies that use part of their income for good causes.

Why should caritalism become our new norm?

Why all this fuss? Why do we need caritalism?

For one thing, it seems that the majority of people do not want to return to pre-pandemic conditions. In Germany

almost 47% intend to change their lifestyle and live more sustainably

. On the other hand, scientists have

scientists have published a report

stating that we only have 10 years to protect the earth from irreparable damage. Also in
The Twentrees
we have already told you that this decade is our last chance to save our planet.

We already know that we can’t carry on as before. Something has to change. And there is no better time for change than now.

We need a solution that improves the capitalist system and is in line with long-term, sustainable, non-profit work. We need companies that make money while practicing sustainability. Both elements must work together.

This solution is caritalism. If we implement this solution, everyone will benefit.

What will caritalism change?

Funding for charitable work: Currently, charitable work is not consistently supported. Short-term, one-off donations pose a challenge. It is not possible to implement long-term strategies and plan for the future in this way.

Karitalism changes this: instead of financing a project for one year, Karitalism finances a project for 10 years. Or even longer. Just imagine how much more effective community service will be with the guarantee of long-term support.

The capitalist system: Sustainability becomes more attractive for companies as they attract the attention of new customer groups who are keen to make sustainable purchases. In this way, they continue to increase their profits.

And when companies regularly support charitable work, the charitable work also becomes financially profitable for companies.

Sustainable work will no longer be dependent on volunteers, donations, or minimum wage for the people who dedicate their lives to these wonderful causes.

However, it is crucial that they continuously finance the protection of our planet.

Let us know in the comments if you agree that caritalism should become our new norm?

The biggest challenges for caritalism

At first glance, caritalism looks easy to implement. However, there are a few hurdles that we have to overcome first.

When you
plant a tree with Click A Tree
this is a wonderful start to overcoming these hurdles.

Challenges with regard to capitalism

Sustainability is not profitable

Typically, capitalist companies strive for maximum profit. Sustainable commitments sometimes fall to the bottom of the priority list because they are not considered profitable. That’s why we need to change this perception

At Click A Tree, we understand the challenge of reconciling profits with sustainability. No company in the world is successful with high operating costs and non-existent profits.caritalism combines long-term, sustainable commitments with profit. There are no losers. Your company will make a profit by simply supporting charitable work. You can find proof of this in the
case study from I Love Sushi
.

And when each of us recognizes this sustainable practice as a way to increase profits and protect our environment, everyone wins. You and me too.

Profits are above the planet

We already know that capitalism encourages companies to buy from the cheapest suppliers and sell at the highest possible profit. And currently, the cheapest suppliers of goods rarely use sustainable practices.

We have seen countless examples of jungles that have been cut down to exploit the nutritious soil. Monocultures are created instead of natural, diverse crops – because they are cheaper and more efficient in the short term.

With Karitalism, we make it easier for companies to support biodiversity and its long-term effects. We are making the cheapest suppliers of goods more sustainable by building healthy and diverse ecosystems that will thrive long after our time.

The biggest challenges in terms of charitable work

Lack of reliable financing

The biggest challenge for non-profit work is the lack of reliable funding. Instead of planning projects with a consistent and measured approach, non-profit organizations have to work with sporadic, one-off donations.

This prevents long-term development. It is impossible to plan the entire life cycle of a project. In the same way, the budget of a sustainable project can be cut if the donations do not appear as expected.

With regular support, non-profit organizations have more room for overhead costs, employee salaries and business development. You can create a foundation and plan for the long term.

Volunteer labor

As there is rarely a budget left over for a local workforce, volunteers often make up the numbers. Volunteer efforts like planting trees, digging wells and educating children in developing countries are great! They are extremely valuable and selfless acts. But unfortunately they don’t last long.

Volunteers come, volunteers go. They leave behind a new school in a developing village (which again is amazing!), but they don’t leave behind a long-term plan or an experienced workforce.

Caritalism makes it possible to employ locals and reward them with a fair salary. There is long-term development, local experience and expertise, and investment in the community.

Unhelpful stereotypes

Finally, we are also stuck in a very unhelpful stigma where society believes that the only way to work sustainably is to do it voluntarily. If we want to make a difference, the general belief is that it should be voluntary or at least funded by donations, like a gap year. Sometimes people are even happy to pay for entertaining volunteer work!

This common view is deeply flawed and only encourages the current short-termism of charitable work. With consistent support and long-term planning, charitable work becomes profitable and requires a permanent workforce. Whereupon we can reward sustainable work with a respectable salary.

And if we do that, everyone in the capitalist system will be inspired to save the planet. Workers will be able to build a career and do something meaningful, and we’ll get rid of this unhelpful stereotype.

How do we make caritalism a reality?

Fortunately, we don’t have to destroy the system and start again to make caritalism our reality. We just need to “update” it a little. Like a smartphone update. Like an update that saves our planet and offers other super benefits.

At Click A Tree, we help non-profit organizations around the world. We understand the big picture with donations and low costs – just like companies. That’s why we have designed caritalism to be business-friendly, sustainable and realistic.

Caritalism for companies

When you plant trees with us, you are joining a collaboration of ambitious, growth-oriented and economically minded companies. It is important that we all attach importance to sustainability.

And this is increasingly being taken into account by consumers before they make a purchase.

A
study by the Capgemini Institute
found that 48% of German consumers would switch to lesser-known brands if they were more sustainable.

With our help, you will become a more sustainable company. The connection between your environmentally conscious customers is strengthened and the interest of many more buyers with social values is aroused. They don’t go to competitors because they know that you care about the planet.

All you have to do is include the costs of your sustainable commitment in your business expenses.

It is also crucial that you contribute to building a long-term partnership that will bring long-term benefits to the communities at our tree planting sites. Just like the long-term partnerships, your profits and ecological status will also grow.

Flexible solutions for companies

You can also plant trees as you wish. We can plant trees for every product you sell, or for every new customer, for every goal you achieve, or for every success story you generate.

If you are an entrepreneur, increase your sales and profits with caritalism. There are no risks and the possibilities are endless. We are excellent at finding a solution that meets your needs and goals.

This is because trees are only planted based on your business success. Take a look at I Love Sushi –
they plant a tree for every tree roll sold
. This means that if no tree rolls are sold, you do not bear the cost of planting new trees, and thanks to the planting of trees, I Love Sushi’s sales of tree rolls increased by 22% in the first quarter of 2020.
tree rolls increased by 22% in the first quarter of 2020
– despite the corona challenges!

The same applies to
our agreement with Koncept Hotels
. We plant a tree for every direct booking you receive: If there is no direct booking, there is no obligation to plant a tree.

Koncept Hotel’s direct bookings have increased steadily since the agreement was signed (until the Corona pandemic, as all types of travel were stopped).

If you want to become more financially profitable and make a difference in the world at the same time, then we want to talk to you!
Get in touch with our friendly team now
– we’d love to help you get involved in caritalism.

Caritalism for consumers

Even if you are not a business owner – you still play a major role. The most important thing you can do now is to decide where to spend your money wisely. Choose companies that plant trees, clean the oceans and protect our planet.

You can easily get started by checking the list of companies who plant trees with B’n’Tree. If you buy something with them, we’ll plant a tree for you. And there are many other ways to buy from ethical companies.
Take a look at 11 easy ways
how you can plant trees for free. Simply by sending e-mails or surfing the Internet.

However, if some of your favorite brands aren’t doing anything sustainable yet, get in touch with them! Actively encourage them to invest in caritalism. Talk to them. Send them a tweet. Give us a call.

You are a valued customer and companies want to keep you happy – you have the power to make a difference.

Caritalism at Click A Tree

Caritalism sounds easy, doesn’t it? Too easy to miss. So if you run a company that wants to get involved (and you absolutely should),
get in touch with us
and we’ll show you how easy it is.

We all play a role in making caritalism our reality.

Our vision is for every single company to become a non-profit organization. And when that happens, each of our simple, everyday actions will go a very long way.

At Click A Tree, we pay everyone in our value chain a fair wage. This is particularly important for the people working on the ground, where our hard-working tree planters typically earn above the average local wage.

We hope that this will inspire other people in the region to plant trees.

We hope today’s post inspires you to contact us about caritalism options. Let’s make it possible today!

Contact our team
to discuss how we can plant trees for you. Share our caritalism stories on your
Instagram profile
and
start a conversation about the benefits of caritalism on Facebook
.

Do you agree that caritalism is the ultimate sustainable solution? What does a charitable world look like for you? And how will you get involved today?

Let us know what you think in the comments.

And a big thank you for the trees you have already planted, for the trees we will plant in the future, and for all the incredible things you are doing to save our planet! You are the best!

See you next time

Your Click A Tree team