A tree grows in Senegal

Freight forwarders usually measure their success with key performance indicators (KPIs) like the number of contracts signed, tons of cargo moved, or percentage of on-time deliveries.

However, the New York-based freight forwarder and logistics service provider ATA Freight also uses an additional—and somewhat unusual—measure: number of trees planted. 

Since 2011, ATA Freight has supported Trees for the Future (TREES), a Maryland nonprofit that seeks to end hunger and poverty by training farmers to regenerate their land. At the end of 2022, ATA announced that it had reached a new milestone by funding the planting of 272,000 lifetime trees in 106 forest gardens in Senegal, restoring 106 acres of land and sequestering thousands of tons of carbon dioxide. Through its efforts, the company has helped take 848 farming families off a path of hunger and poverty and onto one of independence and self-sustainment, ATA Freight says.

“It is critical that each of us as individuals and as corporate citizens do our part to protect our planet and preserve its natural resources,” ATA Freight CEO Matt Goker said in a release. “We are constantly being reminded of the damage our planet has already sustained. We have seen climate change wreak havoc in many regions of the world. Not only are our natural habitats being destroyed, but they are compromising the lives of animals, many of which are already in the endangered-species category. Through our relationship with TREES, we are helping to make an important contribution toward turning the tide.”