SUSTAINABILITY| 02.27.2024
MAPFRE offsets 24,299 tons of CO2e in 2023 through reforestation and nature preservation projects
- The aim is to restore ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and mitigate the Group’s carbon footprint.
- 6,252 trees have been planted in areas affected by forest fires or soil degradation in Galicia.
- Efforts have been made in Brazil and Portugal to safeguard natural habitats from deforestation.
- The company has set itself the target of being carbon neutral across all countries it operates in by 2030.
MAPFRE continues to make progress with its reforestation projects. In 2023, the company planted a total of 6,252 trees in the municipality of Cerdedo-Cotobade, Pontevedra (Galicia, Spain). It also engaged in a ‘prevented deforestation’ initiative in Sierra da Caramulo, Portugal, and the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, protecting degraded areas from intensive deforestation. As a result, the company offset a total of 24,299 tons of CO2e in 2023.
Its reforestation efforts in Spain have contributed to repopulating nearly 6.5 hectares of fire-affected areas, with over 6,000 new trees absorbing a total of 8,445 tCO2e from the atmosphere. Combined with projects in Portugal and Brazil, the company has offset a total of 15,844 tCO2e.
Recovering and preserving the forest
In Spain, MAPFRE has partnered with CO2 Revolution on two reforestation projects in the municipality of Cerdedo Cotobade, Pontevedra (Galicia), an area impacted by forest fires and soil overexploitation. Through these projects, MAPFRE directly contributes to forest regeneration, while also creating local employment opportunities in rural areas and fostering economic growth, tourism, and regional development.
In Portugal, MAPFRE has collaborated with the Cabeço Santo Association on a ‘prevented deforestation’ initiative aimed at restoring ecological and landscape integrity in the Serra do Caramulo area. This natural space had suffered severe degradation due to improper forestry practices and the proliferation of invasive species. Project activities focus on controlling and removing invasive species, planting native flora, and ensuring ongoing forest maintenance.
MAPFRE has further offset its carbon footprint in Spain through another ‘prevented deforestation’ project, this time in Brazil, with an initiative that seeks to safeguard an area degraded by rubber extraction and heavily affected by deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. The project also safeguards the region’s exceptional biodiversity and supports local families by promoting sustainable agricultural practices, thus generating additional income opportunities.
‘MAPFRE Forest’
MAPFRE has implemented the ‘MAPFRE Forest’ project, an initiative that encompasses the company’s reforestation efforts to neutralize its carbon footprint; those actions undertaken by the company’s volunteers to plant trees; and the effort made by its employees to reduce their daily consumption of paper, which contributes to reducing the number of trees felled.