Sustainable packaging specialist Curtis Packaging has done its part to help Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate her platinum jubilee by doing what it does best – helping to secure the planet for future generations.

This time, it’s through the Queen’s Green Canopy Initiative (QGC), which aims to celebrate the British monarch’s 70 years on the throne by encouraging people and companies to plant trees.

The initiative’s website explains, “Tree planting will commence in October 2022 through to the end of the jubilee year. With a focus on planting sustainably, the QGC will encourage the planting of trees to create a legacy in honour of the Queen’s leadership of the nation, which will benefit future generations.”

On top of this, the Queen’s Green Canopy will also dedicate a network of 70 ancient woodlands throughout the UK, as well as identifying 70 ancient trees. The number was specifically chosen to reflect the Queen’s 70 years of service.

Ovenden Papers, one of Curtis Packaging’s suppliers, has pledged to donate 250 trees to the Queen’s Green Canopy Initiative, and they reached out to Curtis to see if they’d be willing to help. Curtis Packaging agreed to pay for 25 trees, which Ovenden Papers will double to make 50. Given that a tree absorbs approximately 25 kilograms of CO² per year, the Curtis/Ovenden partnership will help to negate 1,250 kilograms of CO² every single year.

This commitment to the environment is clearly important to the royal family, as well as to the planet as a whole. Speaking during the Queen’s jubilee celebrations, Prince William made an emotional speech in which he pledged to “restore the environment”.

“I’m in awe of people like the great Sir David Attenborough, who look at the beauty and power of our earth and then work to celebrate and preserve it,” Prince William explained. “[Over the past century], mankind has benefited from unimaginable technological developments and scientific breakthroughs.

“And although those breakthroughs have increased our awareness of the impact humans have on our world, our planet has become more fragile. Today, in 2022, as the Queen celebrates her platinum jubilee, the pressing need to protect and restore our planet has never been more urgent. But like her, I am an optimist.”

Prince William went on to recognise that more and more businesses were getting involved in the fight to protect the planet, and he acknowledged that the climate movement is “spearheaded by an amazing and united generation of young people across the world.”

“Together,” Prince William concluded, “if we harness the very best of humankind and restore our planet, we will protect it for our children, for our grandchildren and for future generations to come.”

Curtis Packaging also carries out a variety of other conservation and preservation activities, such as sponsoring hives in partnership with Bee1 and adopting a red-eyed tree frog called Curtis. You might have seen Curtis on the side of the company’s vans.

Curtis is also ISO14001 and FSC® certified, and they were the first company in the UK to offer World Land Trust certified carbon balanced packaging. Since 2012, the company has helped to preserve over 100,000 m² of tropical rainforest.

A platinum jubilee happens only once in a lifetime, but for Curtis Packaging, sustainability and protecting the planet is part of business as usual. The jubilee was a great excuse for the company to do a little more for the environment, but the hard work is just beginning.

Congratulations again to Queen Elizabeth and the royal family on this iconic milestone! And if you haven’t already, please do consider planting a tree through the Queen’s Green Canopy Initiative by clicking this link to get started.