How House of Marley measures its impact
The term ‘sustainability’ has been used so often and so loosely, the weight behind the word has lost its true meaning. Many use it to make promises. Commit to bold, overzealous goals - but most rarely offer an honest account of the result.
This article is that account. Here’s what House of Marley has actually done; the partnerships, the projects, and the figures attached to each one. We update this yearly, so if the figures have changed, that’s because we’ve been busy planting.
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The One Tree Planted partnership
In 2018, House of Marley began a partnership with One Tree Planted, a non-profit organisation that plants trees where the ecological and social need is the strongest. The idea is simple: every product sold contributes to funding tree planting.
Since 2018, House of Marley has helped fund the planting of over 400,000 trees across 15 countries. That figure represents our funded contribution - the projects we contribute to often plant at a far greater scale, because reforestation works when multiple funders, communities and organisations work together - and we think that’s worth understanding.
Here is what those projects look like on the ground.
The projects
Malawi
Malawi has lost more than 90% of its indigenous forest cover over the past century — one of the most severe deforestation rates on the continent. The causes are well documented: agricultural expansion, charcoal production, and population pressure on finite land. The consequences are equally well documented: soil erosion, reduced water retention, declining agricultural yields, and communities increasingly exposed to the effects of climate instability.
Trees planted:
500,000
Trees species planted:
22
Jobs supported:
341
The reforestation project supported by House of Marley has planted 500,000 trees across 22 native species, restoring habitat while supporting 341 local jobs. Native species matter: they restore the ecological relationships that a monoculture plantation cannot replicate. The jobs matter too — sustainable land management only works when local communities have an economic reason to maintain it.
Peru
In the Peruvian Amazon, deforestation and sustainable agriculture are more closely connected than they might appear. When farming communities lose forest cover, they lose the ecosystem services — water regulation, soil fertility, shade — that make their land viable in the long term. The result is a cycle: deforestation leads to degraded land, which leads to the clearing of more forest.
Trees planted:
486,530
Hectares reforested:
395
Farming families benefitted:
274
The project here has planted 486,530 trees across 395 hectares, working directly with 274 farming families to integrate reforestation into sustainable agricultural practice. When forest and farm work together, both benefit. The families benefit too — with more productive land and greater resilience against the climate pressures that are already affecting the region.
Armenia
Armenia has lost over 90% of its historic forest cover. What remains is fragmented and under continued pressure from urban expansion, agricultural conversion and fire. The ecological consequences extend well beyond the trees themselves — forest loss disrupts the habitat of species that depend on it, reshapes water catchments, and reduces the land’s ability to absorb carbon.
Trees planted:
200,000
Wildlife species benefitted:
120
Volunteers involved:
320
The project has planted 200,000 trees and, in doing so, has created or restored habitat for 120 wildlife species. Equally significant is the community dimension: 320 volunteers have been directly involved in the planting work. Reforestation that is done with communities rather than to them tends to last.
What we build with
The One Tree Planted partnership is one half of how we think about our environmental responsibility. The other half is what our products are made from.
Every House of Marley record player is built from CNC-milled bamboo — one of the world’s fastest growing plants, produced using a carbon positive process. Bamboo has a higher compressive strength than wood and a tensile strength that rivals steel. It is also highly renewable: unlike hardwood, which takes decades to mature, bamboo reaches harvestable size in a matter of years and regenerates without replanting.
Our REWIND™ fabric — used in headphone cushions, speaker grilles and carry bags across the range — made from organic cotton, organic hemp, and recycled plastic bottles. Not only durable, but actively reduces plastic waste ending up at landfill.
Built to last is a sustainability argument as much as a quality one. A product that lasts ten years has a fraction of the environmental footprint of one that lasts two. The materials we use aren’t just sustainable choices – they’re what give your sound the longevity it deserves.
Why this article exists
Without action, Earth Day is just another mark on the calendar. We publish this article every April and update it with current figures. It’s not about what’s been promised. It’s about what’s actually been done.
If you’re a first time reader, we hope we’ve given you a clear picture of what buying a Marley product contributes to. If you’re a returning reader, check the figures - they should be higher than last year.
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