MAS Foundation for Change, the non-profit arm of South Asian apparel tech conglomerate, MAS Holdings, announced direct-to-consumer intimate apparel brand Adore Me, a Certified B Corporation™, as the funding partner for its recently launched mangrove restoration project.
Sri Lanka, where the MAS Foundation for Change is headquartered, is a mangrove hotspot, home to 22 species of plants – yet some estimate that 50% of the island’s mangroves have been destroyed by farming, tourism, settlement, and pollution.
The MAS Foundation for Change is an independent non-profit organization aimed at tackling the social and environmental challenges faced due to biodiversity loss, ocean pollution, and lack of access to clean water. The Foundation focuses on three areas of impact, including creating cleaner oceans, improving life on our planet, and providing access to water. As part of its efforts to improve life on our planet, the MAS Foundation for Change has identified mangrove restoration as an important step towards improving biological diversity in coastal areas, as marine life breeds among the trees’ roots.
Speaking on this partnership, Director of the MAS Foundation for Change, Sharika Senanayake said, “The MAS Foundation for Change is thrilled to be working with Adore Me on this mangrove restoration initiative. Mangroves are a critical component of enhancing coastal ecosystems, as they support marine life, help protect against natural disasters, store 3-4 times more carbon than terrestrial forests, and provide livelihoods to coastal communities. This partnership supports the Foundation’s goals by restoring mangroves across 2.5 hectares of deforested land in the Trincomalee district in Sri Lanka. We are grateful for Adore Me’s continued support of the MAS Foundation for Change’s work to create a positive impact on our planet.”
“Mangroves are the nurseries of the sea, protecting against natural disasters and providing livelihood—but mangroves in Sri Lanka have been destroyed by pollution, tourism, and farming. By partnering with MAS Foundation for Change, we – at Adore Me – sponsor the replantation of over 2,500 mangrove seedlings in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province” said Alix Coucardon, VP Brand & Consumer Insights at Adore Me.
In 2019, Adore Me embarked on a company-wide transformation to incorporate sustainability into every corner of its operations including the formal launch of the Adore Me Cares program, the publication of its first ESG Report in July of 2022, and achievement of B Corp Certification in September 2022.
The mangrove restoration project will continue until December 2025. The first phase includes establishing an onsite temporary mangrove nursery, measuring land using GPS technology, preparing land, manually transporting plants to the site, and planting seedlings. The maintenance phase will involve replanting and maintaining the seedlings annually for three years. A bi-annual project assessment will also be conducted to measure the survival rate of the plants.
To complete this project, the MAS Foundation has partnered with the Department of Forest Conservation and will further enlist the support of Jaffna University and Eastern University of Sri Lanka to facilitate research projects to measure impact. These projects will include an annual biodiversity survey and the calculation of carbon sequestration.
Adore Me’s contribution to the project is another reflect of the company’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility. By partnering with MAS Foundation for Change, Adore Me hopes to raise awareness about the importance of preserving and restoring mangrove forests in Sri Lanka and around the world.
For more information on the mangrove restoration project in Sri Lanka, please contact the MAS Foundation for Change.