Shein donates £12m to textile waste workers in Ghana

Fast fashion retailer Shein has pledged to donate £12 million ($15 million) over three years to a charity working at Kantamanto in Accra, the world’s largest secondhand clothing market.

The donation will come from a £39 million ($50 million) Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Fund that the Chinese firm says is intended to address the ecological and social problems of the global clothing trade.

The foundation, a not-for-profit working with Accra’s textile waste workers, said the money will fund their Mabilgu Apprenticeship Program for Kantamanto women, help community businesses recycle textile waste and improve working conditions at the market.

Speaking at the global fashion summit in Copenhagen, Liz Ricketts, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Or Foundation, said: "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, added: "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."