We live in a time of consumer-driven environmental initiatives. Companies everywhere are making admirable strides to both protect and replenish our environment to meet consumer’s needs. Double A is no exception. However, what makes Double A stand out from the crowd is the approach that we’ve taken since our inception: using KHAN-NA. What is this, you ask? And how does it work?
The term is Thai, and it refers to the unused space between rice paddies. Thai farmers build KHAN-NA ridges between their paddies to contain the water in these fields. That’s their main purpose. Otherwise, KHAN-NA is left fallow, and farmers use them to traverse the fields.
How It Works
It’s a simple program, and it’s highly sustainable. We’ve partnered with over 1.5 million Thai farmers to use this unusable space to plant over 200 million paper trees. We provide Thai farmers with our natural hybrid Double A Paper-Tree, which were engineered from about 2,500 specimens to produce the highest quality of pulp and to require very little maintenance. This natural hybrid process contains no GMOs. We pay farmers to rent this land, and then we help monitor tree stocks with proprietary geo tracking technology to troubleshoot any problem areas. When the trees mature just three to five years later, we buy them back. In this way, we pay the farmers twice.
In a Bloomberg piece on this unique approach, Double A shared their vision. “Our aim was not only to create a sustainable supply of trees but also to create shared value to the farmers and community,”. “At Double A we are providing a better life for families and a better product for worldwide consumers. That’s the Double A way. Our DNA is to create better paper for a better world.” One Thai farmer who participates in the program, Somchai Boonplung, echoes that sentiment, “By growing the Paper-Tree, I earn more to support my family and pay for my children’s schooling.”
It’s a real win-win-win. Thai farmers, who are one of the largest exporters of rice in the world and produce some of the highest quality rice, have recently been hit hard with fluctuating rice prices, and depend on this extra income to help them survive. The trees themselves are a real help to the community, taking in CO2 and producing O2 to counteract the effects of climate change. And the paper they create is of the highest quality, so consumers reap the benefits of a premier paper to showcase their ideas.
Double A is always looking to use KHAN-NA to make the world a better place. And you can help too! Make sustainable practices a part of your daily routine. Small efforts lead to bigger results.