Be a hero, help save the planet! It needs you!
Our 3 aims: Rebuild forests · Reverse bee population loss · Expand wildlife habitatsWe don't simply protect the same forests, meadows and wildlife. Every new SoftStep member expands what's protected. You pay to plant a tree, we plant a tree. You pay to protect wildlife, we expand the habitats being protected. Simple and transparent.
Firstly, see the devastation.
The same land, 40 years apart.
Every year, around 10 million hectares of forest are lost globally, roughly the size of Portugal. We're here to help fight the loss of forests, and we need you to join the thousands of people making a difference every day.
10m hectares of forest are lost globally every year. It's time to #ExpandTheForest.
Did you know?
of the UK's wildflower meadows have been lost since the 1930s, taking vital food for bees with them.
Source: Plantlifeof tropical forest are lost every minute, on average.
Source: WRI Global Forest Watch, 2023 dataaverage fall in monitored wildlife populations since 1970. The mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians scientists track are, on average, around a quarter of the numbers they were 50 years ago.
Source: WWF Living Planet Report 2024What we're working on
Reforestation
Growing saplings in local nurseries and planting them with farmers and landowners, so new forest can take root and keep spreading.
Wildlife support
Protecting the habitats endangered species depend on, and supporting rehabilitation while the land around them recovers.
Bee population protection
Backing bee projects and wildflower meadows that keep pollinators, crops and whole ecosystems alive.
How we're doing it
- 01
Teaming up with farmers and landowners.
- 02
Finding people who care and don't want to see nature vanish.
- 03
Building forests, protecting wildlife habitats, supporting bees and wildflower meadows, and more.
Why we need you
Because caring about the planet is one thing. Doing something about it is another.
Without you, one less tree gets planted.
Imagine everyone in your neighbourhood agreeing that the local park needs more trees. Everyone loves the idea. Everyone thinks someone should do it. But nobody actually plants one.
A year later, nothing has changed.
Good intentions don’t grow forests. Actions do.
Without you, wildlife has one less voice fighting for it.
Imagine someone tearing down your home. You’d fight to protect it, wouldn’t you?
But what about the birds nesting in a disappearing hedgerow? Or the bees losing the wildflowers they depend on?
They can’t speak up or ask us to protect their homes.
That’s why they need people like you.
Without you, one more person leaves it to someone else.
Picture a beach covered in litter. One person walks past, thinking someone else will clean it up. Then another does the same. And another.
Eventually, everyone has walked past, and nothing has changed.
If everyone waits for someone else, who actually makes a difference?
1 person can make a difference. 1 million people can make a change. We're here to round up the million.
Across all our contracted partners
Helping make a difference globally
Tree planting and environmental impact campaigns
Expected to be planted by our members
Small steps. Happy members.
“Honestly, this was an easy yes for me. Clear idea, good cause, no overcomplication 🌱”
“I appreciated that I could actually understand what my contribution was helping to support. That matters to me.”
“Signed up this morning 🐝🌼 Love the idea of giving wildlife a little more room to thrive.”
“I’m not massively into environmental stuff, but this felt practical and worthwhile, so I joined.”
“Very impressed with the transparency. It feels reassuring to know what the project is actually doing.”
“More bees? More flowers? Say less 😂🐝”
“My daughter was the one who got excited about it first. Now she asks me if ‘our bees’ are doing well 🌻”
“I like projects where you can see a real outcome. SoftStep feels much more concrete than just donating into a general pot.”
“This is such a beautiful idea ❤️ Happy to be part of it.”
“What I liked was the simplicity. I understood the idea in a few seconds and it felt like something useful to support.”
Wildlife restoration in the spotlight.
Wider coverage of tree planting and woodland recovery.
Native tree planting begins a rainforest’s return in Devon.
Read the story The Times21 March 2025 · EnvironmentA new national forest, with 20 million trees planned.
Read the story GOV.UK21 March 2025 · Official announcementThe Western Forest: a long-term commitment to woodland.
Read the announcementThe people we work with.
Farmers and landowners grow, plant and look after the trees our members pay for. They live where the trees grow, so every new forest is cared for by the people who depend on it.
These incredible people are doing it, so can you.
One action.
Five real steps.
What happens after you join is simple. Your contribution starts with one clear choice, becomes real environmental work, expands what is protected and ends with impact you can understand.
Choose what you want to protect.
Plant a tree, support wildlife or back habitat protection. The first step should be simple, tangible and clear.
You pay to plant a tree. We plant a tree.
Your contribution is connected to planting, contracted woodland, protected habitat and environmental projects.
Every new member expands what is protected.
More members should mean more land, more planting and more environmental work, not the same footprint protected again.
Wildlife gets more room.
Forests, bees and vulnerable species benefit when the habitat around them is protected and allowed to recover.
Simple and transparent.
The link between your contribution and the work being supported stays easy to understand.
How we're helping fight global deforestation
While we own our own land, we focus on exclusive contracts with woodland and forest owners, helping prevent them from resorting to selling their land to governments, large-scale farming operations or construction companies. We also work with farmers and government-owned land globally, and combat habitat loss for all kinds of wildlife.
7,000+Acres of protected forestry land across all our contracted partners
Where we work
From growing saplings across the UK to independently checked forest protection and wildlife habitat projects, the aim is simple: expand what is protected as the SoftStep community grows.
A growing nursery in every country.
Today we have access to farmland across the UK for growing saplings, and we're constantly reaching out to forestry departments and private landowners. Next we replicate the model across Europe and beyond.
Protect the forest that's actually standing.
We work with Verified Carbon Standard REDD+ projects, so CO2 is offset through a route that's been independently checked. We measure the forest that's actually standing, not the forest we hoped for.
Protect the habitat an endangered species lives in.
Not everyone feels strongly about a sapling. If £7 to plant a tree isn't your thing, put that same support towards protecting the forest an endangered species depends on while the habitat recovers.
What else we're doing
Not every step towards a better planet starts with planting. SoftStep also supports pollinators, cleaner environments and wildlife rehabilitation, because healthy habitats are built from more than trees alone.
Bees do far more than make honey.
They pollinate the plants, crops and wildflowers that keep whole ecosystems alive. Supporting bee projects strengthens local biodiversity beyond planting trees.
Cleaner places start with what we leave behind.
Sometimes the softer step is simply picking up what somebody else left behind. Cleaner, safer environments are small actions that genuinely add up.
Give recovering wildlife somewhere safe to recover into.
Protecting nature means protecting the animals that depend on it. We support rehabilitation habitats and safeguard vulnerable species while the surrounding environment recovers.
The SoftStep Stamp
Working with companies to make their carbon footprint that little bit softer.
We work with companies to reduce their impact on the planet. It's a simple system: you pay to plant a tree for every customer, or lorry, or anything else you want. We then work with you to quantify your current carbon footprint and see how much you're offsetting by planting trees.
Similar to an energy efficiency rating on a boiler, we provide a rating that shows how soft your carbon footprint really is.
Good people. A growing difference.
“I was a little sceptical at first, but the way everything is explained gave me confidence. It feels genuine.”
“I can’t give much of my time, so supporting a project like this financially is a good fit for me.”
“Simple, useful, positive. I joined straight away ✅”
“There is something very motivating about seeing a project grow over time. It makes the support feel more personal.”
“Bees deserve all the help they can get 🐝💛”
“I’ve been trying to make better choices for the environment, and this felt like a very manageable one.”
“For me, trust is everything. I want to know what I’m supporting and where the impact is. SoftStep does a good job of making that clear.”
“Joined for the wildflowers, staying for the tiny fuzzy workers 😂🌸🐝”
“I started cautiously with a small amount. The updates made me feel comfortable continuing.”
“I know one person can only do so much, but lots of people doing a little can still add up to something real. That’s what appealed to me.”
One tree today.
A forest, tomorrow.
It starts with someone kneeling down to plant a single sapling. With care, time and more people joining in, that tree can become part of a thriving woodland. Little by little, we can grow forests together.
A beginning.
And a forest grows around it.
So now you know this, how much do you think nature is worth?
Forests, meadows, bees and wildlife create the air you breathe, grow the food you eat, keep our rivers and oceans alive and are working every day to protect our planet.
3 great tips to having a softer carbon footprint
These do not replace large-scale forest protection, but they are practical ways to keep the same idea moving through everyday life: grow something, use less and think more carefully about what you eat.
Grow something yourself.
While this does not reduce your carbon footprint on its own, it does help towards carbon offsetting. If everyone in the world did this, we would be in a much better place.
Use it less.
If it makes noise, makes light or moves, there is a good chance it is consuming some form of fuel. Use it less and, mainly, be conscious about it.
Eat healthily. Eat local. Waste less.
We are not pretending to be vegans or vegetarians, but mass consumption of meat has a huge impact. Where possible, avoid heavily processed choices and think more carefully about where food comes from.