Nature Positive
From restoration to regeneration: The impact of our partnership with WeForest
FY26
Project performance
Objectives & targets
Sustainably manage 2.78 million trees across approximately 3,000 hectares
Key achievements
More than 4.44 million trees sustainably grown, exceeding the target
Over 4,700 hectares restored and conserved
Future outlook
Partnership impact will continue through the ecosystems restored, communities supported and long-term governance structures established across the project landscapes
From operational efficiency to ecological contribution
As part of Brambles’ 2025 Sustainability Programme, we entered on a long-term partnership with WeForest, a non-profit organisation working to develop scalable and sustainable forest and landscape restoration projects that regenerate and conserve forests around the world. The project focused on large-scale landscape restoration, biodiversity recovery and community-led stewardship in Zambia.
Brambles’ circular share and reuse model already reduces waste and limits demand for virgin materials across global supply chains. In doing so, it helps reduce pressure on land-use systems that are closely linked to deforestation and ecosystem degradation. However, efficiency alone does not restore what has already been degraded.
The partnership with WeForest extended Brambles’ circularity logic into the natural environment, addressing forests not as external “impact areas,” but as systems that must be actively supported if supply chains are to remain resilient over time. This represents a shift from footprint management to system contribution.
Anchored in Zambia: Restoring critical landscapes
Centred in Zambia, the collaboration aimed to sustainably manage 2.78 million trees across approximately 3,000 hectares by June 2025.
The partnership journey began with the Mafinga Hills project in Zambia’s Muchinga Province, an area recognised for its ecological importance and vulnerability to degradation. The project focused on restoring a naturally functioning forest landscape while protecting vital biodiversity and water systems.
Working alongside WeForest and local communities, the initiative aimed to safeguard the water catchment of the Luangwa River, protect the biodiversity of the Mafinga massif and Luangwa Valley and improve climate resilience for neighbouring farming communities.
As the partnership evolved, restoration efforts expanded beyond Mafinga Hills into additional projects including the Katanino project in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province and the Lavushimanda Community Conservation Project in Zambia’s Muchinga Province.
Together, these initiatives focused not only on restoring degraded Miombo woodland ecosystems, but also on supporting long-term community wellbeing through sustainable economic opportunities and improved forest governance.
Scaling impact through regenerative forestry
Across the duration of the partnership, Brambles and WeForest delivered tangible environmental and social outcomes.
- More than 4.44 million trees sustainably grown, exceeding the target
- Over 4,700 hectares restored and conserved
- Protection of critical biodiversity areas
- Improved ecosystem health and water security
- Strengthened climate resilience
- Sustainable livelihoods supported, including beekeeping and conservation agriculture
- Community-led forest governance established
Importantly, the work was rooted in community collaboration and WeForest worked closely with local communities to co-create governance structures that would support long-term forest protection and sustainable land use.
A partnership model built on shared responsibility
The collaboration between Brambles and WeForest operated as a shared delivery model for restoration at landscape scale.
WeForest brought ecological restoration expertise and on-the-ground implementation capability. Brambles provided support through funding, as well as long-term systems thinking and a sustainability strategy grounded in circularity and responsible resource use. Local communities brought essential stewardship knowledge and continuity. This structure shifted the partnership from project delivery to shared system responsibility.
The collaboration also demonstrated how businesses can move beyond traditional carbon-focused sustainability approaches toward broader ecosystem restoration and nature-positive outcomes.
A defining characteristic of the partnership was the shared belief that long-term environmental restoration must also create meaningful value for people and communities.
Marietjie Brown, Sustainability and Government Affairs Lead for CHEP Middle East, Türkiye and Africa, said the partnership reflected Brambles’ belief that business has a responsibility to contribute positively to the ecosystems and communities connected to its operations.
“At Brambles, we recognise that healthy supply chains depend on healthy ecosystems. Our partnership with WeForest enabled us to move beyond reducing impact to actively restoring the landscapes and communities connected to our value chain. What makes this work powerful is not only the scale of growing millions of trees but the systemic impact: stronger biodiversity, improved water security and more resilient livelihoods. It demonstrated that regeneration is most effective when environmental restoration and community impact are advanced together.”
Marietjie Brown, Sustainability and Government Affairs Lead, CHEP Middle East, Türkiye and Africa
Building on a regenerative legacy
While the partnership may have drawn to a close during FY26, its impact will continue through the ecosystems restored, communities supported and long-term governance structures established across the project landscapes.
The collaboration has also helped reinforce an important message for the broader business community: sustainability leadership today requires organisations to move beyond minimising harm toward actively restoring natural systems.
Building on this foundation, Brambles is continuing to strengthen its regenerative approach through its commitment to enable the restoration, conservation or sustainable management of two hectares for every one required for our timber needs.
As businesses continue navigating growing environmental and social challenges, partnerships like this offer a practical blueprint for what nature-positive business can achieve when ambition is matched with collaboration and long-term commitment.
Read more about the impact of our partnership with WeForest on their website.
Brambles’ Nature Positive Programme
Learn more about how Brambles is restoring natural ecosystems and driving biodiversity across global supply chains.
