PR96390

ACCRA, Ghana, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

The Or Foundation, a U.S. and Ghana-based not-for-profit organization at the

intersection of environmental justice, education and fashion development, and

SHEIN, an online retailer of fashion, beauty and lifestyle products, today

announced a groundbreaking, multi-year agreement which will launch SHEIN's

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Fund. The Fund will help advance the

design and implementation of ecological and social sustainability strategies

focused on clothing that has entered the global secondhand clothing trade and

often leaves the secondhand trade as waste.

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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 agreement is part

of SHEIN's newly announced EPR Fund, to which the company will dedicate $50

million over the next five years. The funds will go toward global causes

aligned with SHEIN's commitment to addressing global textile waste management

and furthering the development of a circular economy, as well as any other EPR

obligations.

Liz Ricketts, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Or Foundation, states,

"We have been calling on brands to pay the bill that is due to the communities

who have been managing their waste, and this is a significant step toward

accountability. What we see as truly revolutionary is SHEIN's acknowledgement

that their clothing may be ending up here in Kantamanto, a simple fact that no

other major fashion brand has been willing to state as yet."

Adam Whinston, Global Head of ESG at SHEIN, said: "SHEIN has set an ambitious

impact agenda, and we are thrilled to be partnering with The Or Foundation, the

initial recipient of SHEIN's trailblazing fund, for the next step in our

journey. Addressing secondhand waste is an important part of the fashion

ecosystem that is often overlooked. We have an opportunity to make change in

this space and we look forward to working with The Or Foundation on this first

of its kind effort."

As the initial grant recipient, receiving $5 million annually for three years

from the overall Fund, The Or Foundation will utilize the resources to expand

their Mabilgu (sisterhood) Apprenticeship Program for young women carrying

bales of secondhand clothing on their heads, incubate community businesses

transforming textile waste into new products, pilot fiber-to-fiber initiatives

with Ghanaian textile manufacturers and to upfit Kantamanto Market through a

community-based vision to ensure that the world's largest secondhand clothing

market is a safe and dignified place to work. The Or Foundation will also

redistribute a portion of the initial grant to allied organizations in Ghana.

SHEIN will work with The Or Foundation to identify additional grant recipients

in other countries impacted by fashion's waste problem this year and in coming

years.

Daniel Mawuli Quist, Board Member of The Or Foundation, states, "This is an

empowering contribution for The Or Foundation, as we hope it will be for other

organizations around the world, and we must not lose sight of the value that

Kantamanto and communities like it bring to the movement toward circularity. We

hope other brands will follow suit to focus on the people making a real

difference."

Both SHEIN and The Or Foundation are committed to supporting work on the ground

to keep clothing in circulation, to reduce waste and to clean up and regenerate

areas impacted by textile waste. Earlier this year, SHEIN announced it is a

signatory to global partnerships and initiatives to address 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 form a

relationship with fashion extending beyond their role as consumer. Until now,

The Or Foundation has been propelled forward by the goodwill of individual

citizens and small business owners, most of whom are not directly contributing

to fashion's waste crisis itself. This EPR Fund marks a turning point.

About The Or Foundation

The Or Foundation (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3559441-1&h=209006253&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheor.org%2F&a=The+Or+Foundation

) is a USA and Ghana-based not-for-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 brought

global awareness to fashion's waste crisis through extensive research and

action around the secondhand clothing trade as it manifests in Accra, Ghana,

home to the largest secondhand clothing market in the world. To learn more

about The Or Foundation, visit www.theor.org .

About SHEIN

SHEIN is a global fashion and lifestyle e-retailer committed to making the

beauty of fashion accessible to all. We use on-demand manufacturing technology

to connect suppliers to our agile supply chain, reducing inventory waste and

enabling us to deliver a variety of affordable products to customers around the

world. In April 2022, the company announced evoluSHEIN, a purpose-driven

collection made with preferred materials such as recycled polyester and

forest-friendly viscose. From our global offices, we reach customers in more

than 150 countries. To learn more about SHEIN, visit www.SHEIN.com .

Press contact:

media@sheingroup.com

SOURCE  SHEIN