An automaker is driven by a commitment to make the world a better place

Call it “tree math.” For every test drive taken at Carter Subaru’s two dealerships in Seattle, the retailer plants one native tree in the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area. For every car sold, three more trees are planted for a total of four.

Assuming the trees have a lifespan of 75 years, they’ll absorb the same amount of carbon dioxide that the average car expels in one year, the retailer explains. Multiple that by 225,000—the number of trees Carter Subaru’s employees and customers have planted in the Greenway since 2008—and it adds up to a major initiative toward improving air quality, reducing greenhouse gases and enhancing a 1.5-million-square acre recreational green space.

At Carpenter Group we note that hands-on sustainability figures centrally in the Subaru of America brand, conveyed in the slogan, “More than a car company.” Through grants, grass-roots volunteering and innovative partnerships with nonprofits and communities, the company supports an encyclopedic array of causes—forest growth and preservation, the environment, education, public health, pet care, homeless services, COVID relief and the needs of military families. Its annual Share the Love Event has generated upwards of $200 million in charitable contributions over the past 13 years, with customers and retailers choosing between four national charities and over 1,610 hometown recipients.

Dollars are only part of Subaru of America’s “Love Promise”—a philanthropic platform designed “to show love and respect to our customers and to work to make a positive impact in the world.” To mark its 50th year in U.S., the company donated 50 specially wrapped cars to Meals on Wheels programs across the country for the delivery of meals to homebound seniors. And in the early days of the pandemic, as businesses closed and jobs were lost, the company donated 50 million meals to families in need, with another 100 million meals provided through 199 food banks across the country.

Access to education is a major focus of the Love Promise—most notably in economically depressed areas. Through its partnership with AdoptAClassroom, participating retailers are matched with a school in their community, and provide funding that teachers can use to purchase school supplies and learning materials.

“The support from Subaru of Gainesville helps struggling students become successful learners,” says Kay Abbitt, co-director of Boulware Springs Charter School in Florida “State funding cannot cover all expenses, so our teachers spend their own money to ensure that every student has what he or she needs. Adopting classrooms is a win-win for both teachers and students.”

In the nation’s classrooms no less than its forests, hospitals, parklands and communities, Subaru’s Love Promise impacts the world today—and generations to come.

 

---

Discover more Brand Acts of Kindness

Get in touch to Nominate a Brand

---

About Brand Acts of Kindness® 

Brand Acts of Kindness® is a series from Carpenter Group that spotlights companies across industries that are living their brand values in addressing the unprecedented challenges facing the world today.

The series initially headlined companies assisting healthcare workers and first responders, as well as communities, businesses and families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We also highlight brands taking the lead in supporting social and racial justice, LGBTQ rights, sustainability and the environment. Their stories show how innovation, resolve and action, built on a solid value proposition, can both strengthen a brand and help create a better world.

About Carpenter Group

Carpenter Group is an independent, woman-owned strategic branding, messaging and marketing communications firm that has delivered results-driven solutions to financial, professional services and technology firms for 30+ years.

Our broad cross-discipline experience enables us to craft brand messaging and carry it through to the channels that most effectively connect with our clients’ target audience, from editorial content to advertising to event marketing and more.