Treepex: Plant a Tree at the Touch of a Button
Treepex is an innovative mobile application that will change the idea of purchasing. By buying a product with the Treepex logo, you will automatically be planting trees in Protected Areas of Georgia, thus promoting the growth of Georgian species of trees and improving the ecological background of the country. Founders of the project, two friends Bacho Khachidze and Lasha Kvantaliani, said that the project consists of three components – environment, new technologies and the human factor.
The project works quite simply: you go to a shop, buy a product that you were planning to buy anyway, and if it has a Treepex logo, you download the same name app (Android and iOS), scan the logo’s unique QR Code, take a photo of your purchased item and upload the photo on your social network.
“Then a tree will be planted and cared for at either the Tusheti Protected Landscape, Ajameti Managed Reserve or Tbilisi National Park,” Khachidze explained. “Once a tree is planted on your behalf you will be notified on the Treepex App and receive, through email, a photo of the tree with your nameplate as well as its GPS coordinates. And when you go to the Protected Areas of Georgia, you can meet your tree.”
One of the aims of the App’s creation was to change the attitude of Georgian people to the ecology and green issues. According to Khachidze, people still do not fully understand or have sufficient knowledge in the environmental field. “Therefore, first we have to plant a tree in their minds,” he said.
New technologies will have to grow a new generation environmental population. It is worth noting that prior to the official launch (March 3, 2016) the project was presented to the Eurasian Global Challenge at which 6000 projects entered the final stage.
The new start-up has attracted the attention of local companies. Treepex already has an agreement with a number of wine companies which are ready to release their products in a Limited Edition line with the Treepex logo. In addition, one of the leading banks of Georgia has agreed to transfer money from the collection of waste paper to plant trees in Protected Areas of Georgia.
However, Treepex still keeps its main focus on individual sales. There are already available flowers and trees in pots and wooden products with the Treepex logo. The creators said that the wooden products were made from waste materials and that no trees were cut for their creation. In future, Treepex will open an online store with a wider range of products. Moreover, entering the online environment will give the company an opportunity to make their project global.
“Even when you are somewhere far away, on the other side of the world, just by purchasing your desired product you can plant a tree and support Georgia in greening. Moreover, you will be able to visit your tree and discover Georgia as a whole, which has recently become a sufficiently attractive country in terms of tourism,” said Khachidze.
Planting the trees in the Protected Areas guarantees that they will not be cut down and will continue to grow for at least 300 or even 900 years. “The Protected Areas of Georgia are under the special protection of the State- we signed a memorandum with the Agency of Protected Areas to that effect. Agreement with them and our own knowledge makes sure we plant the right varieties of trees in the right place,” Khachidze added.
Tree planting will be carried out at the end of each month. Their number in the first month reached 300. Khachidze notes that, with the involvement of various companies, the number of trees has already increased to 1000 this month.
Eka Karsaulidze