Partnering for a Purpose – Helping to Reforest America
In just three years, Travelers Personal Insurance has achieved significant environmental, educational and operational benefits through bold partnerships with American Forests and the U.S. chapter of 1t.org.
Through American Forests, Travelers funds the planting of one tree for each Personal Insurance billing account converted to paperless billing. Launched in 2019, this initiative has helped reduce our environmental impact by lowering our paper consumption by approximately 22 million pages annually. As of Earth Day 2023, we have funded the planting or conservation of over 4 million trees in 14 U.S. states and Canada. Building on the partnership’s success, we have committed to funding the planting or conservation of up to 5 million trees in areas in need of reforestation by Earth Day 2024.
Beyond the environmental impacts of planting trees, paperless billing provides an added level of convenience for customers by allowing for easy access and retrieval of billing and policy documents. Operationally, it also helps us save millions of dollars a year in paper and postage costs.
In addition to supporting our company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, our partnership with the U.S. chapter of 1t.org helps contribute to a global movement of conserving, restoring and growing 1 trillion trees by 2030. More locally, we are helping to fund Tree Trust Branches, a job training and mentorship initiative in the Twin Cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, that helps young people facing barriers to education and employment finish high school and build meaningful careers in urban forestry.
Some of the events that have helped us with our tree-planting efforts in recent years include the following:
- Minnesota. In 2022, 50 Travelers employees and independent agents gathered with local government officials and partners from American Forests and Tree Trust Branches to plant trees in Taft Park.
- Connecticut. In 2019, nearly 100 Travelers employees came together with KNOX Hartford and American Forests to plant trees – red oaks, apple trees and junipers – in historic Colt Park in Hartford, Connecticut.
- Texas. Travelers employees and local independent agents joined members of the community to plant hundreds of trees in Rio Grande City, Texas in 2019. This was a particularly important project because 95% of the habitat in this area – home to 11 endangered or threatened species – has been cleared.
Community/Environmental Benefits
- Each tree planted absorbs carbon, improves air quality and helps restore habitats for birds and other animals.
Travelers Benefits
- Travelers achieves cost savings by eliminating the materials and labor costs associated with printing and mailing forms.
- Employees are increasingly concerned about the environment and appreciate the company’s focus on restoring forests, which improves engagement.
- Volunteer activities linked to the partnership provide team-building opportunities.