Proceeds from kitchen and textile collection will benefit Whole Planet Foundation
West
Elm and Whole
Foods Market introduce today an exclusive holiday collection to
benefit Whole Planet Foundation, a nonprofit organization that
alleviates poverty around the globe. In partnership with Guatemalan
textile group The New Denim Project, the 12-piece, limited-time
collection of kitchen and tabletop items are crafted from premium,
upcycled denim. One dollar from every piece purchased from this West Elm
and Whole Foods Market holiday collection will be donated to Whole
Planet Foundation. The collection is available now online at
westelm.com/wholefoodsmarket and will be available in both West Elm and
Whole Foods Market stores beginning in October.
“We are continuously seeking new ways to offer our customers choice in
products and services that are both well designed and make an impact,”
said Jennifer Gootman, West Elm Director of Social Consciousness and
Innovation. “Together with Whole Foods Market and The New Denim Project,
this collection aims to give back to the makers and artisans, to
communities in need, and to the environment.”
Each piece in the collection is 100 percent cotton and constructed of
upcycled denim, a process that utilizes waste from pre-consumer denim.
The waste is ground back into fiber, mixed with new cotton, spun into
yarn and is woven into fabrics. The process is chemical- and dye-free
and more than 20,000 liters of water are conserved per kilogram of
upcycled material. Most items in the 12-piece collection are priced
below $40 and include coasters, napkins, placemats, table runners, oven
mitts, kitchen towels and aprons.
“Our partnership with West Elm is a perfect example of how small
purchases can go a long way toward improving our world through
sustainable production practices,” said Jeanne Tamayo, Global Lifestyle
Buyer at Whole Foods Market. “These pieces are beautifully designed and
will look great in any kitchen.”
To further support the collaboration, West Elm and Whole Foods Market
encourage customers to visit westelm.com/wholefoodsmarket where they can
access exclusive entertaining ideas and recipes. Beginning on October 1,
West Elm will donate $1 to Whole Planet Foundation for each customer who
creates one of the unique recipes, photographs it and shares it on
social media using #WestElmxWFM, for an additional $2,000 donation to
Whole Planet Foundation. Additionally, on Saturday, October 8, West Elm
invites customers to visit their neighborhood West Elm store in the U.S.
for a special day featuring holiday entertaining tips from West Elm’s
professional in-home stylists, free treats and exclusive recipes
provided by Whole Foods Market. To RSVP for the in-store event,
customers should visit westelm.com/stores and select their local store.
About West Elm
Headquartered in Brooklyn, NY since 2002, West Elm opened its first
store in DUMBO, the neighborhood it still proudly calls home. With the
mission of helping customers express their personal style at home,
everything West Elm does is designed to make an impact in everyday life,
from creating unique, affordable designs for modern living to its
commitment to Fair Trade Certified, from LOCAL and handcrafted products
to community-driven in-store events and collaborations. The brand
operates 93 retail stores in the United States, Australia, Canada and
the UK, ships internationally to customers around the world and operates
12 stores in Mexico, the Middle East and Philippines through
unaffiliated franchisees. In addition to home furnishings retail, West
Elm operates West
Elm Workspace with Inscape in the commercial furnishings industry. West
Elm publishes the blog Front+Main
and is part of an active community on Facebook,
Instagram,
Pinterest,
Twitter
and YouTube.
West Elm is a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands.
About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1978 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods Market is the leading
natural and organic foods supermarket, the first national “Certified
Organic” grocer, and uniquely positioned as America’s Healthiest Grocery
Store™. In fiscal year 2015, the Company had sales of approximately $15
billion and currently has 455 stores in the United States, Canada, and
the United Kingdom. Whole Foods Market employs approximately 87,000 team
members and has been ranked for 19 consecutive years as one of the “100
Best Companies to Work For” in America by Fortune magazine. For more
information, please visit www.wholefoods.com.
About Whole Planet Foundation
Founded in 2005, Whole Planet Foundation is a Whole Foods Market
foundation that alleviates poverty worldwide where the company sources
products. The nonprofit’s mission is to empower the very poor living in
developing-world communities with microcredit and the chance to create
or expand a home-based business and lift themselves and their families
out of poverty. As of June 2016, Whole Planet Foundation is funding
microlending programs through microfinance partners in the U.S. and
across 68 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, supporting 7.8
million people with a chance for a better life. To date, the nonprofit
has authorized $68.9 million and disbursed $53.6 million through
microlending partners worldwide.
