Kodak Alaris has announced its partnership with veritree, a restoration platform that connects businesses with verified tree-planting projects. The partnership will focus on agroforestry, an approach to sustainable land use that integrates diverse elements including trees, crops, and sometimes animals, to create a sustainable ecosystem.

"At veritree, we believe in the power of collaboration to drive meaningful change, and teaming up with Kodak Alaris is a testament to that belief," said David Luba, co-founder and head of partnerships, veritree. "Kodak Alaris' commitment to reducing paper through intelligent document processing solutions is matched by its dedication to reimagining corporate responsibility for a sustainable future."

As part of the initiative, 40,000 trees will be planted this year in east Rwanda, aiding in the effort to restore damage caused, in part, by unsustainable farming practices in that region that have led to soil erosion and landslides. The partnership will address other challenges facing Rwandans. Approximately 32% of children under age five suffer chronic malnutrition and nearly one-fifth of the population is food insecure. Together, Kodak Alaris and veritree strive to achieve many goals, including:

• Providing 800 working days for local Rwandan farmers as they reforest 16 hectares, equivalent to 30 American football fields.
• Increasing access to nutrition by more than 700%.
• Reducing severe food insecurity for Rwandan farm families from 56% to 8%.
• Sequestering 2,174 carbon tonnes, equivalent to taking 473 cars off the road for one year.

"Our purpose as a company is to give businesses the tools they need to digitize, simplify workflows and enable paperless strategies," said Jay Mathewson, environment, health & safety manager, Kodak Alaris. "Through life cycle design, we're reducing environmental impacts associated with our products — but we seek to do more. The partnership with veritree complements this mission, allowing us to actively contribute to reforestation and rebuilding ecosystems through sustainable farming practices."