Holt Renfrew Bolsters Efforts to Restore and Protect Canada’s Oceans With a $200,000 Donation to Oceana Canada
Press Release Date: August 18, 2021
TORONTO — Efforts to restore and protect Canada’s oceans and marine life are getting a boost, thanks to a $200,000 donation from Holt Renfrew to Oceana Canada, part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. The donation is a result of H Project’s sixth Uncrate program, Uncrate Oceans, and a variety of other fundraising efforts conducted by Holt Renfrew. Uncrate Oceans brought awareness to ocean conservation by curating an assortment of sustainable products created with materials that are both earth and ocean friendly, many with a portion of proceeds going to Oceana Canada.
“This is an amazing and powerful gift. We’re so grateful for the leadership and support of Holt Renfrew to help us address the global threats our oceans are facing and ensure future generations inherit healthy oceans full of life,” says Josh Laughren, Oceana Canada’s Executive Director. “The need to protect and restore abundance to our oceans has never been more urgent. Through this partnership and its ongoing sustainability initiatives, Holt Renfrew has shown a real commitment to helping create a better future for people and the planet.”
The donation will support Oceana Canada’s campaigns to protect critically endangered marine animals from extinction, preserve fragile marine habitat, stop the flow of single-use plastics to our oceans, stop seafood fraud and ensure coastal communities can continue to depend on the abundance of life in the ocean.
“The world’s oceans connect us all, they feed life on this planet, they feed us, and we are destroying them,” says Alexandra Weston, Divisional Vice President, Brand & Creative Strategy, Holt Renfrew. “That is why we were so pleased to launch our Uncrate Oceans program with Oceana Canada as our partner. We wanted to bring more attention to the issues our oceans are facing, while also providing our customers with a real way to support ocean conservation.”
H Project is a platform for larger awareness and charitable campaigns, bringing to light some of the world’s most important issues. Created in 2013 by Alexandra Weston, H Project focusses on curating purposeful, sustainable, beautiful products from around the world with unique stories and compelling narratives, supporting local cultures and communities with minimal impact on the environment and ensuring positive global impact.
To learn more about Oceana Canada’s campaigns and to get involved, visit oceana.ca. To learn more about Holt Renfrew’s H Project, visit https://www.holtrenfrew.com/en/h-project.
Contact: Tammy Thorne, Oceana Canada, tthorne@oceana.ca, 437-247-0954, and Jennifer Daubney, Holt Renfrew, Jennifer.Daubney@holtrenfrew.com
About Holt Renfrew:
Holt Renfrew is considered Canada’s fashion and lifestyle retailer. Founded in Quebec City in 1837, Holt Renfrew is renowned for unparalleled retail experiences and is Canada’s hub for the world’s best fashion and beauty brands. Recognized as a leader in personal service and experiences, the company’s mission is to empower self-expression and ignite positive change along with overarching commitments to sustainability and diversity and inclusion. With seven stores across Canada, including four in the Greater Toronto Area, plus Montreal, Calgary, and Vancouver, customers can also experience Holt Renfrew’s offerings via holtrenfrew.com. Holt Renfrew was acquired by the Weston family in 1986 and continues to be privately and Canadian-owned as part of the Selfridges Group. Visit us at www.holtrenfrew.com.
About H Project:
Since 2013, Holt Renfrew has been consciously curating an assortment of products that are beautifully designed, passionately purposeful, and have unique stories—this curation is H Project. H Project has a dedicated shop space within Holt Renfrew stores and online. H Project does the work for customers by selecting products from around the world with compelling narratives, that support local cultures and communities, that have minimal impact on the environment, and/or positively impact the world by donating to charities. H Project is also a platform for larger awareness and charitable campaigns bringing to light some of the world’s most important issues. H Project’s ethos has expanded store-wide with an edit of sustainable and socially responsible product, highlighted with the H Project Approved icon. For more information visit H Project online at www.holtrenfrew.com/hproject
About Oceana Canada
Oceana Canada was established as an independent charity in 2015 and is part of the largest international advocacy group dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana Canada has successfully campaigned to end the shark fin trade, make rebuilding depleted fish populations the law, improve the way fisheries are managed and protect marine habitat. We work with civil society, academics, fishers, Indigenous Peoples and the federal government to return Canada’s formerly vibrant oceans to health and abundance. By restoring Canada’s oceans, we can strengthen our communities, reap greater economic and nutritional benefits and protect our future. oceana.ca