Accra, Ghana, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Or Foundation, an American organization and Ghanaa non-profit organization based at the intersection of environmental justice, education and fashion development, and SHEIN, an online retailer of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, announced today Today is a groundbreaking multi-year agreement that will launch SHEIN’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). The Fund will help advance the design and implementation of ecological and social sustainability strategies focused on garments that have entered the global second-hand clothing trade and often leave the second-hand trade as waste.

The agreement between The Or Foundation and SHEIN is the first of its kind, establishing an annual commitment from the brand to support waste management efforts in communities deeply impacted by textile waste. The deal is part of SHEIN’s new EPR fund, to which the company will devote $50 million over the next five years. The funds will go to global causes aligned with SHEIN’s commitment to addressing global textile waste management and fostering the development of a circular economy, as well as any other EPR obligations.

Liz Ricketsco-founder and executive director of The Or Foundation, says, “We’ve asked brands to foot the bill owed to communities managing their waste, and this is an important step towards accountability. What we see equally groundbreaking is SHEIN’s acknowledgment that their clothes could end up here in Kantamanto, a simple fact that no other major fashion brand has yet been willing to affirm.”

Adam WinstonGlobal Head of ESG at SHEIN, said, “SHEIN has set an ambitious impact agenda, and we are thrilled to partner with The Or Foundation, the first recipient of SHEIN’s pioneering fund, for the next leg of our journey. is an important part of the fashion ecosystem that is often overlooked. We have the opportunity to make changes in this space and we look forward to working with The Or Foundation on this first effort of its kind.

As the original grant recipient, receiving $5 million each year for three years from the global fund, the Gold Foundation will use the resources to expand its Mabilgu (fraternity) apprenticeship program for young women carrying bales of second-hand clothes on their heads, incubate community businesses transforming textile waste into new products, pilot fiber-fiber initiatives with Ghanaian textile manufacturers and to develop the Kantamanto market through community vision to ensure that the largest second-hand clothing market in the world is a place safe and dignified work. The Gold Foundation will also redistribute a portion of the initial grant to allied organizations in Ghana. SHEIN will work with the Gold Foundation to identify additional grant recipients in other countries affected by the fashion waste issue this year and in the years to come.

Daniel Mawuli Quistmember of the Gold Foundation Board of Directors, said: “This is an exciting contribution for the Gold Foundation, as we hope it will be for other organizations around the world, and we should not not lose sight of the value that Kantamanto and communities like it bring to the movement towards circularity.We hope that other brands will follow suit to focus on the people who make a real difference.

SHEIN and The Or Foundation are committed to supporting on-the-ground work to maintain garment circulation, reduce waste, and clean and regenerate areas impacted by textile waste. Earlier this year, SHEIN announced that it is a signatory to global partnerships and initiatives to combat product reuse and recycling.

Beyond this, The Or Foundation continues to be dedicated to a vision of ecological and economic prosperity that inspires global citizens to connect with fashion beyond their role as consumers. So far, The Or Foundation has been propelled by the goodwill of individual citizens and small business owners, most of whom are not directly contributing to the fashion waste crisis itself. This REP Fund marks a turning point.

About the Gold Foundation

The Gold Foundation is a UNITED STATES and Ghananon-profit organization that has been working between the two countries at the intersection of environmental justice, education, and fashion development since 2011. The Or Foundation has raised global awareness of the fashion waste crisis through extensive research and action around second-hand clothing the trade as it manifests in Accra, Ghana, home to the largest second-hand clothing market in the world. To learn more about The Gold Foundation, visit www.theor.org.

About SHEIN

SHEIN is a global fashion and lifestyle e-tailer committed to making the beauty of fashion accessible to everyone. We use on-demand manufacturing technology to connect suppliers to our agile supply chain, reducing inventory waste and enabling us to provide a variety of affordable products to customers around the world. In April 2022, the company announced evoluSHEIN, a focused collection made with preferred materials such as recycled polyester and forest-friendly viscose. From our global offices, we reach customers in over 150 countries. To learn more about SHEIN, visit www.SHEIN.com.

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