SHEIN commits €5 million to the Africa Collect Textiles foundation

SHEIN has announced the creation of the SHEIN Foundation and its commitment to donate €5 million to the Africa Collect Textiles Foundation (ACT), the charity of Africa Collect Textiles. This social enterprise has developed a pilot program to collect and recycle used textiles in Kenya.

The SHEIN Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to foster more inclusive and sustainable communities in the places where SHEIN operates. It will be the charity of the SHEIN group. With the creation of the SHEIN Foundation, the company seeks to consolidate its previous donations under this structure, which is aligned with the foundation's mission.

In recent years, SHEIN's donations have supported causes and organizations that address social and environmental issues. This includes contributions under the SHEIN Cares initiative, which promotes women's empowerment and gender equality, supports the holistic development of children, and combats poverty, as well as grants through its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Fund to combat global textile waste and promote the development of a more circular fashion ecosystem, especially in communities in the Global South affected by this problem. 

Between 2021 and 2024, SHEIN has committed more than $26 million to social and environmental impact initiatives under these two commitments. Highlights of SHEIN's previous grants and donations can be found in the Appendix section.

Donald Tang, CEO of SHEIN, has stated, “Empowering and giving back to the communities we reach has always been central to our operating philosophy. Establishing the SHEIN Foundation and consolidating our charitable efforts under a formal philanthropic structure brings greater accountability and transparency to our giving. This also strengthens our ability to direct our contributions more effectively and sustainably to support better causes and organizations aligned with our values.”

SHEIN Foundation Eco-Goals 

SHEIN Foundation will work to build more inclusive communities and sustainable ecosystems by focusing its support on organizations aligned with its charitable purposes, which include, among others, the following missions:

Improving lives in communities: Focusing on women, youth, and disadvantaged people to overcome systemic challenges, uplift communities, and create more equitable opportunities toward a more inclusive future where everyone can reach their full potential.

Protect biodiversity: Address biodiversity challenges and habitat loss resulting from climate change by protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Advance sustainable change: Invest in research and support the development and implementation of innovations and strategies in environmental and social sustainability to catalyze scalable solutions that accelerate the transition to a more circular and sustainable fashion industry.

Funds committed by SHEIN Foundation to ACT Foundation will go towards activities that promote textile donation and post-consumer textile recycling in Kenya and the wider African region, which include:

• Installation of an accessible network of drop-off points for the public to donate their used clothing.
• Create new jobs as collectors, sorters, and creators who will transform textile waste into new products, focusing on hiring youth and women from vulnerable communities.
• Construction of recycling infrastructure to process larger volumes of textile waste.
• Promote online and in-person community outreach programs, such as recycling workshops, lectures, and neighborhood collections.

Elmar Stroomer, director of the ACT Foundation, said, “This project will greatly contribute to our mission to reduce textile waste and close the loop to a more circular fashion ecosystem. Through this project, we are protecting our planet and creating jobs that will transform lives and bring opportunities to those who need them most. This journey will inspire hope for a more sustainable and equitable future for all.”

The ACT Foundation grant is aligned with SHEIN's EPR Fund's goal of supporting waste management efforts in communities affected by global textile waste. The SHEIN Foundation will now manage it. The EPR Fund had already awarded grants to the Or Foundation and the Untours Foundation, which supported KaTik, a Cambodian initiative collaborating with social enterprises to recycle textile waste.

SHEIN has collaborated with several organizations to support important causes and generate positive change. Examples of grants and commitments made by SHEIN include:

In 2022, SHEIN launched the EPR Fund and has since made grants to the Or Foundation and the UnTours Foundation.

In 2023, SHEIN committed $8.6 million to empower communities and promote educational opportunities in Singapore and beyond by signing four MOUs with four academic institutions and non-profit organizations.

In 2024, SHEIN donated $430,000 to six local Dress for Success (DFS) affiliates in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Singapore. DFS is a nonprofit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing professional clothing, interview advice, and ongoing support once they return to the workplace.