Country Road launches $1.5m Climate Fund to fight climate change

Australian brand Country Road, a subsidiary of Woolworths Holdings Limited, has announced the launch of Australia’s first fashion industry climate fund, thus acknowledging that the fashion sector has a direct impact on climate catastrophe. Over the next three years, it intends to donate 1.5 million US dollars to initiatives advancing climate solutions in the Australian fashion industry. Up to 500,000 US dollars might be allocated through the annual awards program in just the first year.

Country Road stated in a press release that while there are a lot of currents and cutting-edge climate fashion solutions, many of them lack the funding to be created or implemented throughout the fashion industry. The Country Road Climate Fund’s mission is to close this funding gap by advancing climate solutions in the Australian market.

Elle Roseby, managing director of Country Road, said that Country Road is embarking on a personal quest to become a global leader in responsible lifestyle shopping. They have a science-based climate target with a goal to reach net zero by 2040, and by 2030, they intend to have all their Australian and New Zealand stores, as well as their head office and distribution center, supporting renewable energy.

Roseby added that the Climate Fund was established as a component of its responsible business journey, which aims to generate positive change across climate, nature, and community within its own operations, as well as through developing beneficial outcomes in its value chain and beyond.

Helen Crowley, sustainability leader and project advisor of the Climate Fund who is also part of the assessment committee, said that the acknowledgment of the climate change impact on the Australian fashion industry is what makes the Climate Fund so exciting. It necessitates simultaneously pursuing and assisting numerous strategies. Country Road is doing exactly this with its new fund, which is focused on protecting and restoring biodiversity, assisting Indigenous Peoples, and innovating around business models and products.

The new fund is a component of Country Road’s ongoing efforts to conduct business responsibly. These efforts include collaborations with organizations like Landcare Australia, which works to restore Australian cotton farmlands, Oritain, which uses science to confirm the origin of textiles, the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, which supports up-and-coming First Nations artists and creatives, and Red Cross, which works to divert waste from landfills while raising money for nearby communities.