Alipay’s sustainability commitment has seen 100mn trees planted

Alipay has had millions of trees planted across China as part of a green initiative, it was announced on Earth Day.

The ‘Ant Forest’ program within the Alipay app rewards users for making environmentally friendly decisions in their daily lives through a points system which can then be used to plant trees.

At present, trees are being planted in areas of China with low vegetation, with the company saying it has planted 100mn trees so far. Ant Forest was first launched in 2016.

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Eric Jing, Chairman and CEO of Ant Financial, said: “I am very proud of the popularity of Alipay Ant Forest, which embodies our belief that technology should be used for social good.

“We are grateful to our many users and partners who have helped plant 100mn trees and advance a shared vision of sustainable and inclusive development.”

As a whole, Alibaba is keen to show a commitment to sustainability and CSR. The ecommerce giant states: “Since our founding, we have been highly committed to supporting and participating in charitable and socially responsible projects that align with our core values and mission, and to establishing a technology-driven charitable ecosystem to extend the benefits of our technological capabilities to the community at large.”

In particular, it has launched a data centre which uses lake water for cooling. Meanwhile, its logistics arm Cianiao has formed the Cianiao Green Alliance with other Chinese couriers to promote green logistics initiatives.