LPP as a partner of the 7th edition of the Development Initiation Fund

It is the fifth time that LPP – a Polish clothing company – has supported the social and environmental initiatives within the framework of the Development Initiation Fund. It is the only support programme of such comprehensive nature in Pomorskie Voivodeship aimed at cross-sectoral cooperation. This year’s grant competition is a response to the challenges identified in the UN 2030 Agenda. Projects may be submitted by 30 July this year.

The Development Initiation Fund is dedicated to cross-sectoral initiatives, i.e. projects implemented by NGOs in cooperation with business and local government, which respond to contemporary social and ecological challenges. The winners will be offered the Accelerator of Cross-sectoral Innovations, which combines financial support of up to PLN 25,000 with substantive and organisational assistance, help of mentors and expert support in the implementation of a crowdfunding campaign.

– As a company, we operate on many foreign markets, but our heart has always been here in Pomerania. This makes us even more keen on projects that involve the local community. We have observed and actively supported this competition almost from the very beginning due to the fact that its implementation formula is a cross-sectoral one. Such partnerships sometimes bring about ground-breaking ideas, and often offer just a fresh viewpoint as regards the social challenges we face every day. Where an idea meets business, the idea acquires a practical approach which is necessary for it to become a reality – comments Patrycja Zbytniewska, coordinator for social projects at LPP – Main Partner of the Foundation and the Development Initiation Fund.

The aim of the grant competition is to select projects which will implement at least one of the 17 sustainable development goals set out in the UN 2030 Agenda. They constitute an attempt to respond to global challenges such as climate change, excessive energy consumption or social exclusion. 193 countries, including Poland, have committed themselves to their implementation. Although they have a global dimension, meeting them requires initiatives on many levels – also on a local or business level.

– From the perspective of a company involved in the production of clothing, many of the problems identified in the UN 2030 Agenda are particularly close to us. It was the starting point for developing our sustainable development strategy for 2020-2025. The goals we have adopted there correspond directly with the challenges identified by the UN. We are very much hoping among the application there is a proposal that for an initiative that focuses on our industry and one of its most important aspects – recycling of materials. We have a special prize envisaged for such a project – announced Patrycja Zbytniewska.

It is the fifth time for LPP as a partner of the grant competition. This year, the company decided to extend its support and become a patron not only of the competition itself, but also of all the initiatives carried out as part of the Development Initiation Forum.

Details about the competition may be found at www.forumrozwoju.org.pl.

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LPP is a Polish family business and one of the fastest growing clothing companies in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. For 30 years it has been successfully operating in Poland and abroad, offering its collection in traditional stores already on 25 markets, including in such prestigious capitals as London, Berlin, Tel Aviv or Moscow. LPP SA manages five fashion brands: Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito, and Sinsay. As at the end of 2020, the company had a chain of over 1800 stores with the total area of 1.4 million sq.m. The online offer of the brands collections is available on 30 markets. On the basis of a global supply chain, the Polish clothing producer distributes over 259 million pieces of clothing to three continents. LPP plays another important role as it employs nearly 22 thousand people in its offices and sales structures in Poland, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The company is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the WIG20 index and belongs to the prestigious MSCI Poland index.