creating a legacy that lasts.
No matter the area and project we work on, one of the most important priorities of our company is the implementation of sustainable projects, and projects that have a wider positive influence on various aspects of the society and contribute to the improvement of the economy, infrastructure and especially environment, while impacting the progress and promotion of sports in Serbia and the region.
That is why in our everyday work and especially while organizing professional tennis tournaments, we often wonder – what happens after the event?
What happens when the last match point is played, the noise of the crowd dies down and the lights on the court are turned off? What legacy from the event is left behind for the generations to come? Can we, as a sports event, create something that will last far beyond the tournament itself?
With these questions in mind, during the ATP tournament “Serbia Open 2022” we created a project called “1 ticket – 1 tree”, which committed to planting one tree in cities across Serbia for every ticket sold at the tournament.
….and the results were better than we ever hoped for.
We successfully planted 36.000 sycamore and red oak trees on more than 100 hectares of land, in 27 cities and over 120 planting locations across Serbia.
With the help of a few thousand tennis fans, volunteers, children, nature lovers, and community services at each of the planting locations we created one of the biggest actions of forestation in the last 20 years, giving new “green lungs” to urban and rural areas, schools, kindergartens, parks, riverbanks, and areas of old landfills.
What is more, this number of new trees will annually eliminate up to 840,000 tons of CO2 from the air, which will positively impact numerous generations to come.
Besides planting a significant number of new seedlings, with this project, we wanted to raise awareness of the importance of environmental protection and motivate other sports events to follow our initiative and use the platform they have, to talk about other important topics besides sports. Also, we wanted to educate people of all ages and show them that individual contributions truly CAN create important changes.
With this in mind, the action itself was followed by a campaign in all forms of media, and many different successful people from the world of sports and business promoted the project and motivated people to join our action.
The project “1 ticket – 1 tree” was also supported by tennis stars Andrey Rublev and Miomir Kecmanovic, who joined the planting in Belgrade and sent the message about the importance of creating synergy between sports and important social issues, such as the protection of the environment, around the world.
The importance of the project “1 ticket – 1 tree” was also recognized by the official state institutions in Serbia, who made us an award-winning company, by giving us two of the most prestigious environmental awards in the country – "Special recognition – Green Leaf" and "National award for Corporate Social Responsibility – Djordje Weifert" in 2022 and 2023.
Special recognition – Green Leaf
“Special recognition – Green Leaf”, is the oldest and most famous ecological award in Serbia. It has been awarded for the last 39 years by Radio Belgrade 2 and Vojvodina Environmental Movement, to the selected individuals, associations, companies, and projects that have significantly contributed to the preservation and improvement of the environment in Serbia.
Besides the “Green Leaf” award, companies and organizations who were recognized as the biggest polluters of the environment, are “awarded” with a “Black Leaf” award.
National award for CSR - Djordje Vajfert
“National award for corporate social responsibility – Djordje Vajfert”, has been awarded since 2007 by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, to the companies that stand out in their business, based on the principles of social responsibility and attitude towards employees and their families, the environment, and the community in which they operate transparently and sustainably. It represents one of the most important recognitions for companies and organizations given by an official state institution, thus the selection process of the nominees and awardees is thorough, detailed, and rigorous.
Gallery
let's talk
We would love to connect with you. Feel free to reach out to us!