Partners in Growth®
Join forces to plant and protect our planet
Through our decades-old tree planting program involving our clients, we are helping Trees for Life increase the canopy in communities across Canada.


The root of the program
Replenishing the environment is one of SJC’s founding values. While print and paper is one of the few truly sustainable industries, we wanted to contribute to that circularity and plant trees on behalf of every print client and every print job. In 1990, we secured Scouts Canada as our founding tree planting partner and launched Partners in Growth®; a first-of-its-kind program in the industry. That same year, SJC was honoured with the Financial Post’s first ever Environmental Award for Business.
Over three decades and millions of trees later, our commitment continues. On behalf of every ton of paper used by SJC Print, including for our own SJC Media magazines such as Toronto Life, Maclean’s and Chatelaine, we contribute to the planting of a tree through Trees for Life.
old program. new partner.

SJC is Founding Partner of Trees for Life, a national charity founded in 2019 dedicated to funding, planting and stewarding millions of native species in the right places.
Its first two campaigns, the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign and the GrandTrees Climate Solutions projects, have raised over $12.4 million which has enabled the planting of over 1 million trees to date and another million by the end of 2022.
Inspired by the success of these campaigns, Trees for Life is committed to mobilize and inspire communities across Canada to plant trees – impacting the climate and supporting Canada’s 2 Billion Tree Program in the process.
Browse through some of the recent sites where trees have been planted on behalf of our Partners in Growth® below.

Ad appearing in the December issue of Toronto Life as part of SJC’s commitment to increase awareness about Trees for life amongst its millions of magazine readers across Canada.
A Highway of Heroes Tree Planting initiative, an arboretum of nearly 500 native trees and shrubs, including a Vimy Oak honouring Canadian vets, was planted to mark National Tree Day on September 23, 2021

Through funding from Trees for Life, in support of the Highway of Heroes Tree Campaign (HoHTC), hundreds of trees will be planted to create a beautiful memorial forest and a landscaped arboretum at the Ontario Regiment Museum in Oshawa, Ontario. The Museum showcases Canada’s largest collection of operational military vehicles and tells the story of the Ontario Regiment. These living tributes are part of the two million trees that HoHTC is planting to honour all Canadians who have volunteered for service during times of conflict.

As a key part of the Lynde Shores Conservation Area Restoration Project in Whitby, Ontario, 7,000 trees will be planted in 2021 and 2022 in collaboration with the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA). This protected property is also home to many native wildlife species including white-tailed deer, waterfowl, shorebirds and Monarch butterflies migrating along the north shore of Lake Ontario.

The Lang School of Business and Economics is committed to inspiring and developing leaders to use business as a force for good, and the Institute for Sustainable Commerce advances research and curriculum innovations related to
business sustainability, corporate social responsibility and circular economy innovations. Demonstrating their sustainability and environmental leadership, the University of Guelph, with funding from Trees for life, is planting 800
trees to create a Carbon Offset Forest in the Fall of 2021.
Trees for Life has partnered with Replant Environmental to plant 100,000 native trees and shrubs in community forests and Canada's parks in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

"St. Joseph Communications has long shown outstanding corporate leadership and responsibility by generously supporting organizations that work to make our communities and the planet healthier. We are so delighted to have SJC as a Founding Sponsor of Trees for Life, and for making our mission to plant more trees known to its clients and the millions of Canadians who read SJC magazines."
- Mark Cullen, Chair, Trees for Life
why trees
- Absorb carbon dioxide & release oxygen
- Release our stress levels
- Contribute to mental health
- Strengthen communities
- Shelter wildlife
- Create clean drinking water

The Trees for Life and Toronto Life connection
Michael de Pencier, one of Canada’s leading magazine publishers (who bought Toronto Life for a dollar in 1971), is rallying the industry and the country with his passion for trees and the drive to make a difference for future generations.
read the article
Client Partner Guidelines
As an SJC Print client, let your audience know about your Partners in Growth® impact. We offer a customizable mark to include on your next print project.
download the Guidelines
The sustainability of print
Get the facts dispelling common environmental misconceptions about print, paper and paper-based packaging. Plus, from magazines and books to direct mail and bills, how consumers continue to show their preference for print.
view the article