About Us
We work in Denmark and South Africa, and design projects for social change that fall within our vision to contribute to a more equal, more fair and more sustainable world.
Our organisation is based on the work of volunteers and local and global partnerships.
We also partner with Danish designers who wish to help fight the issue of waste in the fashion industry by donating their overproduction to us.
Funds raised from the donated clothes are invested in empowering youth and women and help lift them out of poverty.
Who we are
DWB Dk was founded in 2012 as an NGO working with the fashion industry to try to find better solutions to waste and at the same time raise funds for marginalised youth and women living in poverty in South Africa.
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In our work we set focus on waste in the fashion industry related to overproduction, which is overproduced garments or goods with minor faults which never reach the customers.
On a global scale the amount of waste in the fashion industry continues to grow and the reality is that we still have a long way to go. At the current speed the industry’s waste will increase by about 60% between 2015 and 2030. This brings the total level of fashion waste in 2030 to 148 million tons per year.
We partner with Danish designers who wish to help fight this issue by donating their overproduction to us.
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In our work we set focus on waste in the fashion industry related to overproduction, which is overproduced garments or goods with minor faults which never reach the customers.
On a global scale the amount of waste in the fashion industry continues to grow and the reality is that we still have a long way to go. At the current speed the industry’s waste will increase by about 60% between 2015 and 2030. This brings the total level of fashion waste in 2030 to 148 million tons per year.
We partner with Danish designers who wish to help fight this issue by donating their overproduction to us.
We pack the clothes in Denmark and ship it to South Africa, where it is sold at Fashion Fundraisers.
A Fashion Fundraiser is a two-day pop-up shop arranged by our local volunteers and South African partners.
All profit is invested in our partnership projects that help lift youth and women out of poverty and empower them to reach their full potential.
”One of the best things that I have learned is the courage to stand my ground and to do something about the things that I find unfair. Before I became a part of the program, I didn’t know how to deal with issues that affected me, but now I can see the difference that can be made if I speak up.
Chloe, from the Youth Leader Program, South Africa
Fight for Equality and Justice
We will initiate, and cooperate with, initiatives that educate and empower vulnerable and marginalized people and population groups and gives them a voice.
In active collaboration with our target group we will share knowledge and create awareness on how to create peaceful, fair and creative communities, – following and respecting the social and planetary boundaries so as to ensure an environmentally safe and socially just space in which humanity and all life can thrive;
Promote and Foster Sustainable Production and Consumption
We will start up and foster educational and entrepreneurial initiatives within the field of design or cross-disciplinary fields focusing on sustainable production and consumption.
We will promote the use of upcycled or recycled waste and material as well as materials which are produced without harming people, animals or the environment;
Be not-for-profit
We will adhere to the not-for-profit principle and encourage voluntariness.
When we work with NGO partners, we look at the internal set up: staff must be fairly treated, respected and receive a fair wage. Staff are however not entitled to additional remuneration from the organization, suppliers, or any other individuals or legal entities with whom the organization/s have relations, other than salaries or allowances. The salary level will be fair and reasonable, similar to or lower than those in comparable sectors of the employment market. Directors and management staff salary levels will be fair and appropriate and generally lower than those in the comparable private (for-profit) sectors of the employment market.
All salary levels are public to members, partners and sponsors;
Follow the Social Economy Model
We will work independently or alongside public institutions, the private sector or any other individuals or legal entities to start up entrepreneurial and income generating programs within the design industry or cross-disciplinary fields.
Such programs are all based on the not-for-profit social economy model, a business strategy which puts people before profit. This means, in short, that where profit is raised from programs producing and selling goods and/or services, the profit will at all times be invested back into projects and programs for the target groups and the communities we strive to uplift;
Be Transparent
We will be transparent, honest and actively fight corruption. Members, partners and sponsors have full access to financial records which allows them to see how financial resources are used as well as examine the underlying decision processes;
Encourage and Enable Participation
We will promote and encourage locally based, user-oriented and interactive projects.
We will focus on and strengthen long-term solutions and help the target group to become self-reliant. We believe, from a solidarity perspective, that having ownership and taking action are keys to improve your life. We promote and support educational programs and projects using design thinking as an educational tool, which place emphasis on involving the target group in defining their own needs and solution strategies;
Local Partnerships
We will encourage and foster local partnerships believing that we can achieve more by working together. Focus is on creating long term partnerships for the goals.
Everyone who believes in equality and would like to take part in creating spaces defined by tolerance, kindness and respect can participate.
We work with the following strategic themes:
Empowering Youth
Educating youth about active, democratic citizenship is an integral part of our work, and we continuously work to create a space for youth with diverse backgrounds to get involved in their communities in a meaningful way and gain a strong sense of autonomy and agency.
We work with partners who makes design thinking an integral part of their strategy when educating and empowering youth.
By learning this mindset youth become aware of the world around them and strive to understand it and the people in it.
It teaches them how to find and design the best solutions for change in collaboration with others. Also, they learn that by working together cross communities, cross borders, and from all corners of society we begin to understand a problem in a new way and to see new and maybe better solutions.
Finally, it empowers them and give them the mindset that they can take part in designing a better future for themselves and the world they live in.
Gender Equality
We believe that girls and women are critical agents of change and that investing in them is a force multiplier and can be a powerful catalyst for development. Also, we promote the idea that no society can be successful when approximately half the population is not fully participating with an equal voice.
We engage boys and men in our work. It is important that they work alongside girls and women to support gender equality and that they take an active role to challenge misconceptions relating to masculinity.
Private sector Partnerships
Complex social and environmental issues call for broader collaboration across the NGO and private sector to instigate transformative social change.
An important part of our strategy for development is to collaborate with Danish designers to not only reduce the amount of clothing waste in Denmark and raise funds for our work, but also to set focus on the problem of over-consumption and production.
