Posted on September 29, 2015 by EPR Retail News Editors

Global Citizen Festival: H&M Conscious Foundation joined forces with world leaders, artists and activists to support the new Global Goals

During the festivities around the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Saturday the H&M Conscious Foundation joined forces with world leaders, artists and activists to support the new Global Goals. The Foundation committed to giving 45,000 of the poorest people in India access to clean water and toilets, through a partnership with Practical Action.

NEW YORK, NY, 2015-9-29 — /EPR Retail News/ — The commitment was announced during the fourth annual Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York, on September 26th. The event brought together 60,000 people and over a dozen world leaders and prominent activists from all over the world to celebrate the new Global Goals, signed by world leaders at the UN on Friday. On stage were also a star-studded line of up celebrity hosts and musicians including Hugh Jackman, Olivia Wilde, Salma Hayek, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Beyonce.

The H&M Conscious Foundation and Practical Action committed to Goal nr 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all) and launched a new $1.3M project that will bring clean water and safe sanitation to Khurda city, one of the poorest communities in India. The city has a population of 45,000 and in its slums 94% of households don’t have a toilet. There is no city sewerage system and sludge waste collected from septic tanks is tipped into the public drains, causing blockages and flooding.

The project will use innovative technology to tackle the sanitation crisis in Khurda. For example, human waste will be turned into biogas (that can be used for cooking for example) and fertilizer (that can be used for farming), waste water will be collected and treated and roof based rainwater harvesting and filtering technologies will provide clean water.

“The need for better sanitation in the developing world is clear,” says Simon Trace, CEO of Practical Action. “By improving how we deal with human waste, we can save lives, improve child health and ensure greater dignity and personal safety, particularly women and children.”

Maria Bystedt, Acting Global Manager, H&M Conscious Foundation continues: “The setup of this project is indeed impressive; introducing pioneering approaches using innovative technology within human waste management and at the same time focusing on community buy-in and behavioral change.”

H&M US, a major partner of the Global Citizen Festival, made it easy for H&M customers to earn festival tickets through two easy actions. Customers could purchase exclusive Global Citizen Festival t-shirts, designed in collaboration with Ed Sheeran and Coldplay (made of sustainable materials), or recycle old clothes at any H&M store location and help close the loop for fashion. Through these actions, fashionistas and global citizens could earn action points to win festival tickets and join H&M in the journey toward global environmental stability by securing a more sustainable fashion future.

Please find further information about Global Citizen Festival at www.globalcitizen.org.

About the Global Goals
On September 25^th world leaders committed to 17 Global Goals to achieve 3 extraordinary things in the next 15 years. End extreme poverty. Fight inequality & injustice. Fix climate change. The Global Goals for sustainable development could get these things done. In all countries. For all people. Learn more at http://www.globalgoals.org/

About Practical Action
Practical Action is an international development charity that uses technology to challenge poverty. Since being set up 50 years ago, by the economist and philosopher EF Schumacher, Practical Action has been working with poor communities around the globe and is today present in more than 40 developing countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Through technology Practical Action enables poor communities to build on their skills and knowledge to produce sustainable and practical solutions. Thus transforming their lives forever, protecting the world around them and helping them break out of the cycle of poverty for good. For further information, please visitwww.practicalaction.org.

GLOBAL MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Only press enquiries
Phone: +46 8 796 53 00
Email: mediarelations@hm.com

All other enquiries
H&M switchboard +46 8 796 55 00
Email info@hm.com

Head of Communications
Kristina Stenvinkel
+46 8 796 39 08

Head of Media Relations
Camilla Emilsson Falk
+46 8 796 39 95

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Global Citizen Festival

Posted on October 1, 2014 by EPR Retail News Editors

H&M Conscious Foundation and Global Citizens around the world call on World Leaders to end extreme poverty by 2030

Stockholm, Sweden, 2014-10-1— /EPR Retail News/ — During the festivities around the third annual Global Citizen Festival H&M Conscious Foundation Ambassador Alek Wek and Global Manager Helena Thybell entered the stage to make a commitment, and to state an example of organizations taking action against extreme poverty. The Foundation committed to giving 250,000 children in the world’s poorest countries access to clean water and toilets in school, through a partnership with WaterAid.

The commitment was announced on stage during the third annual Global Citizen Festival on September 27th, in front of 60,000 people on the Great Lawn in Central Park, New York. The event brought together celebrity hosts including Hugh Jackman and Jessica Alba, artists like Jay Z, No Doubt and Carrie Underwood, and World Leaders like Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India; Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

During the Festival super model and H&M Conscious Foundation Ambassador Alek Wek entered the stage together with the Foundation’s Global Manager Helena Thybell, both dressed in H&M. While on stage, Wek explained, “When schools don’t have toilets girls drop out as their periods start. Also, as children are vulnerable to diseases, they often get too sick to attend.”

“That’s why H&M Conscious Foundation will join forces with Global Citizens around the world to call on World Leaders to drive change and ensure that water, sanitation and hygiene are made a priority in the roadmap to end extreme poverty by 2030”, she announced.

Global Manager Helena Thybell continued: “To match our words with action, the H&M Conscious Foundation is donating $ 9.3 million USD to WaterAid, to transform lives by delivering water, sanitation and hygiene in schools. 250 000 students will directly benefit from this three year program.”

The H&M Conscious Foundation also took the lead in inviting other companies to join in; and as a result of that we got to see P&G and Unilever delivering commitments connected to water and sanitation during the festival.

H&M US also served as the official retail partner of the Festival, providing organic cotton ”Concsious” t-shirts for the IMPACK (Global Citizen Action Pack), which give Global Citizens the opportunity to take action through the purchase of this pack. All profits from IMPACK sales support organizations such as UNICEF, leading the fight against extreme poverty.

Furthermore, H&M will sell their Conscious Denim collection at the Global Citizen Festival Pop-Up Shop at the Free & The Brave at the Paramount Hotel through October 22. A portion of proceeds from the sales will be donated to The Global Poverty Project, the host organization of the Festival. H&M will also have a recycling bin at the pop-up shop where customers can drop off a bag of gently used clothing and receive a coupon for 15% off their next purchase at H&M.

More about the Global Program
In schools without facilities teachers don’t want to teach, girls miss school as their periods start and children get too sick to attend. Tragically around 500,000 die every year from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation. The lack of essential services can have a negative impact on health, learning and development as well as wider issues including gender equality and economic growth.

By joining forces with WaterAid in a global flagship program, and contributing with a funding of 9,3 million USD (180 million SEK) the H&M Conscious Foundation will provide 250 000 students, in the world’s poorest countries, clean water and sanitation over the upcoming three years.

As part of this program, WaterAid will also advocate and influence decision makers and practitioners in order to make sure that the issue of water, sanitation and hygiene education is politically prioritized, and financially resourced.

H&M Conscious Foundation is a non-profit non-profit global foundation initiated by H&M. The mission of the Foundation is to contribute to positive long-term change for people and communities, beyond the value chain, complementing H&M’s sustainability work. Thanks to the Stefan Persson family’s substantial donation of 105 million USD (700 million SEK) since 2013, it is possible for the H&M Conscious Foundation to make real impact for people and communities within the focus areas Education, Clean Water and Strengthening Women.

GLOBAL MEDIA INQUIRIES

Only for media representatives
Phone: +46 8 796 53 00
Email: mediarelations@hm.com

Please note the contact details above are only for media representatives. For other enquiries contact H&M’s switchboard on +46 8 796 55 00.

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H&M Conscious Foundation and Global Citizens around the world call on World Leaders to end extreme poverty by 2030