On my recent visit to Cape Town, I took a trip out to see our forest restoration partner GreenPop at the Platbos Forest, near Gansbaai in the Overberg, about three hours' drive from Cape Town. We first partnered with GreenPop in 2020 as part of the Group’s Conscious Capital initiatives, and we have been strong supporters of their work ever since.

GreenPop is on a mission to plant trees, create green communities and empower environmental stewardship across sub-Saharan Africa. Their projects range from forest restoration in South Africa and Malawi, to urban greening projects in Tanzania and Zambia, as well as fynbos restoration along the Garden Route in South Africa. Since 2011, GreenPop have planted over 159,000 trees, restored 11 fynbos gardens and worked with over 43,000 people in their local communities to promote the development of more sustainable environments for everyone.

Part of our Conscious Capital commitment is to plant thousands of trees on the Isle of Man and in South Africa to support our net-zero ambitions. To date, we have planted well over 3,500 indigenous trees in total and it was great to see some of the areas that we have helped to plant in Platbos. It was also really moving to see the important work that is ongoing with local communities in support of increased environmental awareness. I felt very privileged to have been able to visit the site and see first-hand the work that they are doing. 

Following my visit, earlier this month, we had a small team from our Cape Town office attending the Reforest Festival at Platbos. Over 5,000 trees were planted to support the reforestation and plenty of fun was had, with our team enjoying a weekend of camping, workshops, local food and live music. 

Conscious Capital is about making a difference, today, tomorrow and into the future. We encourage all our staff to take a day out of the office to work in their local communities, supporting charitable initiatives and environmental awareness. The GreenPop forest restoration work in Platbos is a wonderful example of this work and the positive impact that it has on everyone who is touched by it.  

‍Disclaimer: The views, thoughts and opinions expressed within this article are those of the author, and not those of any company within the Capital International Group (CIG) and as such are neither given nor endorsed by CIG. Information in this article does not constitute investment advice or an offer or an invitation by or on behalf of any company within the Capital International Group of companies to buy or sell any product or security or to make a bank deposit.