Working with the ITF

It’s always nice to know, when you’re treating yourself to something quite lovely, that you’re not the only one who benefits from your purchase. This is the case when you choose to shop with Studio William, as for every £200 spent on our exceptional cutlery, we donate £2.50 to The International Tree Foundation – a charity that is close to award-winning designer William Welch’s heart for more than one reason…

The idiosyncrasies found within nature is something rather special and it’s particularly the unique beauty of trees that lies at the root of many of our award-winning cutlery designs.

From the very British Royal Oak to the more exotic boughs of the Kumquat tree, each range of Studio William cutlery is named after the tree which either directly inspired its one-of-a-kind form or was later seen reflected in the design. We always knew that we wanted to give something back to the planet as a thank you from us to you and the rest of the world for supporting us in our ever-evolving journey and it only seemed right for our chosen charity to be one that goes hand-in-hand with our creative process, as well as one that is of vital importance to each and every one of us.

It’s a scary fact that the destruction of some of the densest areas of forest in the world is a huge contributing factor to the endangerment of many species of animals and plants, climate change, a lack of food and resources for some of the planet’s most vulnerable people and the fragility of sustaining life on Earth as we know it. To help ourselves and future generations, it only makes sense to put our efforts into undoing some of the harm caused by the plundering of trees – a vital life source – by working together to replenish the woodland we have lost.

The International Tree Foundation (previously known as the Men of the Trees) was established in Kenya back in 1922 by English forester, environmental activist and author Dr Richard ‘St Barbe’ Baker OBE and Chief Josiah Njonjo.

Generations ahead of his time, St Barbe recognised the importance of trees in sustaining life on Earth and set about his mission to inspire people all over the world to join him in planting and protecting our precious trees. By the 1950s St Barbe had launched his project to promote reforestation worldwide and had begun to take on the mammoth task of reversing desertification, aiming to reclaim the Sahara through the strategic planting of trees – a project that is still ongoing today.

Focusing largely on education as a means to rally support and encourage younger generations to get on board with saving the world, the message was spread to thousands of young people who have since continued his valuable work and grown from there.

Now, the ITF is on a mission to protect, plant and cultivate trees in partnership with local African communities to support the:

• Conservation of trees and an increase in indigenous knowledge about the sustainable use of natural resources

• Advocacy and public awareness of environmental and socio-economic issues created by deforestation, both close to home and further afield

• Widespread knowledge about the powerful potential of trees to rehabilitate land, fight climate change and generate sustainable agriculture and livelihood benefits.

• Establishment of natural resource management strategies within local communities.

• Cultivation of traditional foods and medicines to improve the livelihood and health within rural communities

• Creation of jobs and business opportunities through the adoption of agro-ecology and agroforestry practices

• Development of by-laws and regional policies which meet the needs and aspirations of local communities striving to live in a socially and environmentally friendly way

When you choose to dress your table with Studio William cutlery, you choose to support a cause that can quite literally change the world...and that’s something we’re really pretty proud of.