The first retailer ever to go carbon neutral in South Africa, Bakos Brothers Furniture Retailers, made local history by purchasing 203 trees to offset it’s January carbon emissions, the first step of it’s ongoing monthly offset plan.
Eight disadvantaged schools across the country will receive between 20 and 40 trees, as well as training and education on how to maintain the trees facilitated by Food & Trees for Africa, a greening, climate change action and food security social enterprise. This will enhance and create a nurturing environment for the schools and will provide lasting benefit to generations of children and their communities alike.

“I believe it is every person’s responsibility to adopt low-carbon practices, and businesses are made of people. Raising public awareness and encouraging choices that support ethical companies will result in pressure being felt by other suppliers to follow suit”, said CEO, Ryan Bakos. “I believe the chain reaction is the only thing that might save our wonderful and precious planet!”
Bakos is not only committed to offsetting the company’s monthly carbon emissions, he has also begun implementing a plan to reduce it’s energy consumption which accounts for over 75% of the retailer’s total carbon emissions. 
A carbon footprint and energy report by Global Carbon Exchange (GCX) highlighted how reductions could be achieved so Bakos devised a financially sustainable plan which spread the cost of converting his current lighting system (the most energy intensive component of Bakos Brothers Furniture Retailers operations), to an energy efficient system, over the next two years. 
Total payback for the entire project will also be achieved in the 23rd  month of the conversion, but emission reductions and financial savings began with the first lights that were converted and will continue steadily as more energy efficient lighting is fitted. This will also result in less and less offsets being purchased monthly until the new system has been fully installed at all five of the company’s Johannesburg premises. 
Looking at today’s international leaders like Virgin, HSBC, Mark’s and Spenser’s, Google, Ikea and Nike it is clear that the old business model of profiting at the expense of everything and everyone has been replaced by a sustainable model that does not separate responsible environmental and social practices from raising profitability and increasing market share.