How Clothing Manufacturing Start-Up ‘Green Degree’ Seeks To Help In Raising Funds And Awareness For Educational Programs
How Clothing Manufacturing Start-Up ‘Green Degree’ Seeks To Help In Raising Funds And Awareness For Educational Programs. Green Degree is a company that seeks to sustainably raise funds for education in South Africa. The company has inspiring ideas and strong beliefs as it wanted to have a positive impact throughout the process. The founders of the company started by collecting old denim to make pencil cases, and so began what it describes as a creative, challenging and uplifting journey.
Green Degree was established in 2019 by Anne Henderson and Cheryl Macdonald to help raise funds and awareness of the huge need for funding literacy and educational programs in South Africa. Having been volunteers at Shine, it became very apparent how much of an impact these projects have on the lives of the children they help.
The founders saw an amazing opportunity to marry their creativity to support local and raise funds and goodwill. They both have working experience in manufacturing and marketing in the local fashion and homeware industries. Being passionate about sustainability, they rose to the challenge of curating a collection of sustainable, desirable products from local artisans and training, upliftment, and empowerment co-operatives. The company also collects and upcycles denim and other fabrics, saving them from landfills, utilising these fabrics that have cost the earth dearly, and creating unique pieces that are useful.
The company believes that every child has the right to a good education. Green Degree raises funds for under-resourced primary schools and proven literacy and educational initiatives. It forms good, long-term relationships with its beneficiaries enabling it to best meet their needs. It also offers long-term support, and work collaboratively to assess how funds are put to best use.
The company is passionate about sustainability and it does not believe businesses need to harm the earth. In all of its fundraising initiatives, the company supports and assists local artisans and projects that create desirable and sustainable products with minimum carbon footprint and zero waste. The company advocates for local organic materials, natural fibres, up-cycling, sustainable production and ethical labour practices. In the promotion and sale of these products it encourages conscious consumerism and creates awareness of the environmental crisis.
