Ricoh considers revamp for troubled tree-planting scheme

Printer-maker Ricoh is considering funding a new environmental scheme in Africa that would see a tree planted for every 10 cartridges recycled by customers.

The news comes after a recent trip to tree-planting projects in Tanzania, funded by the company through a previous carbon offsetting initiative, revealed that many of the trees had been stolen or died as a result of drought.

The company had pledged to provide development charity Seeds for Africa with funds to plant a tree every time a customer printed 100,000 pages using a Ricoh printer. However, Ricoh admitted that the scheme had appeared to encourage some customers to print more, while many of the trees had subsequently died.

The firm said it was now considering remodelling the scheme so that donations are made based on how many printer cartridges customers recycle, rather than how many pages are printed out.

It said that it was also working with Seeds for Africa to ensure that any future tree planting projects it funds have access to sufficient water supplies.