Sustainability / Social
Seeds of hope
Consistent with company policy requiring all Jotun companies to engage in Corporate
Responsibility initiatives, Jotun Turkey’s GreenSteps programme has raised awareness and money
for re-forestation projects through the clever use of technology.
In 2016, Jotun Turkey launched the GreenSteps campaign
to build awareness and raise funds for environmental
sustainability projects. The initiative is grounded in a
customised app that enables users to track their steps when
they walk or run. Based on distance travelled, Jotun donated
funds to TEMA, an organisation dedicated to reforestation
and the protection of natural habitats in Turkey. Over the next
two years, Jotun raised enough money to plant about 20 000
trees. In 2019, Jotun Turkey worked in cooperation with a
nationally recognised group of divers devoted to protecting
fragile marine habitats. Participants in the “GreenSteps”
campaign walked enough kilometres to fund the clean-up
of over 100 000 square metres of seabed.
ADJUSTING TO LOCKDOWNS
When the coronavirus emerged in Turkey in 2020, stay-athome
orders discouraged people from going on long walks or
runs. In response, Jotun developed a game that people could
play at home, where participants had to manipulate their
phones to place a virtual seed in the right place. The more
participants who succeeded, the more money Jotun would
donate to reforestation projects. By year-end, Jotun’s efforts
64 I Jotun Group Report 2021
resulting in the planting of about 15 000 seeds selected by
Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
As lockdowns lifted in 2021, participants were free to walk
again, and Jotun resumed the GreenSteps app. Only this time,
the company partnered with “e-cording”, an organisation
that develops sustainable environmental technologies to
fight climate change. To access harder-to-reach areas of
Turkey, especially those areas damaged by forest fires, Jotun
sponsored drone flights that carried seed balls to remote
locations. Once again, Jotun worked with the Ministry of
Agriculture and Forestry to select different plant types and
locations. In all, Jotun distributed more than 250 000 seed
balls all over Turkey in 2021.
BUILDING LONG-TERM ENGAGEMENT
Jotun Turkey will continue to partner with relevant
organisations and develop the environmental sustainability
campaign through the GreenSteps app, which now has a
social media reach of over four million. In addition to making
a positive impact on the environment, the programme also
incentivises healthier lifestyles.