UNLEASH

UNLEASH and Race for Oceans partners with BESTSELLER Foundation to focus on beach clean-ups and plastic pollution

We are excited to announce that Race for Oceans and UNLEASH have entered into a strategic partnership for 2021. The partnership will focus on scaling Race for Oceans to a global concept, and is supported by BESTSELLER Foundation.

Race for Oceans was established in Denmark by Signe Simonsen, and targets everyone with passion for oceans. The concept supports SDG 14 – Life below water and combines sports, beach clean-up and knowledge-sharing. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the increasing plastic pollution in the oceans around us. The initiative has been conducted with great success in Denmark in 2019 and 2020, where a sports relay moved a baton along a 456 route from Sylt in Germany to Skagen in Denmark along the Danish Westcoast.

“It is fantastic news that Race for Oceans and UNLEASH will be embarking on a collaboration to globalize Race for Oceans with support from BESTSELLER Foundation. Our goal is to conduct a number of events around the world in the lead up to the birthday of the United Nations on the 24th of October,” says Kristian Kampmann, who leads the UNLEASH Secretariat. He continues: “With this agreement, the two organizations will work together to build each other up. Race for Oceans brings a strong concept that has been successfully tested in Denmark, and UNLEASH represents a huge and dedicated global community of young talents. Together, we will be able to conduct beach clean-ups all around the world.”

“Today, we begin a really exciting journey. For us, UNLEASH is the perfect match for a global scaling of Race for Oceans. UNLEASH can with their unique background and a strong community engagement of diverse young talented people test the Race for Oceans concept in several countries. The increasing plastic pollution in the oceans is a global challenge and therefore it calls for a global focus and solutions. Our common goal with this unique initiative is to create a “wave of awareness”, that will move the heart of UN HQ in New York”, Signe Simonsen says.

“There is a need for a circular and more efficient use of resources and materials and especially waste and waste handling has a great potential to actually create value. For this reason, we have waste on the agenda at BESTSELLER Foundation and we are therefore also proud to take part, and very happy to help the Race for Oceans initiative in becoming a global event”, says Jannek Hagen, Managing Director of BESTSELLER Foundation. He continues: “The waste challenge, not least in streams, rivers and oceans is a global challenge that requires an ambitious global effort. We are therefore thrilled to partner in this ambitious initiative, with the hope and expectation that this leads to global awareness that again leads to global action. We look very much forward to the cooperation with the passionate people of Race for Oceans and the talents of the UNLEASH network”.

About Race for Oceans

Race for Oceans is a non-profit organization in Denmark and founded by Signe Simonsen. She has a strong passion for oceans, is a former elite swimmer and the first Danish woman in The 7 Continent Marathon Club. Race for Oceans is for everyone with passion for oceans and supports SDG 14 – Life below water. The concept creates synergy between sports, beach clean-up and knowledge-sharing. In 2020, Signe Simonsen won the Danish SDG Award together with Race for Oceans.

About UNLEASH

UNLEASH is a not-for-profit initiative created to build the world’s leading platform of action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2017, UNLEASH has engaged more than 4,000 young people, who have created 600 SDG-solutions through global innovation labs in Denmark (2017), Singapore (2018) and China (2019). In addition, UNLEASH has organized a range of virtual programs, including 22 virtual hackathons and a 6-month-long acceleration program. UNLEASH has been recognized by Onalytica as one of the world’s most influential sustainability brands alongside established brands such as Greenpeace, USAID and Oxfam International.

About BESTSELLER FOUNDATION

With particular focus on reducing waste and to reuse and recycle valuable resources, BESTSELLER Foundation is dedicated to supporting the wellbeing of our natural world, for creating better jobs and sustainable growth. BESTSELLER Foundation’s work is made possible through the support of BESTSELLER, an international family-owned fashion group.

Press contact at Race for Oceans:

Signe Simonsen

Mail: [email protected]

Mobile: +45 22 41 00 04

Press contact at UNLEASH:

Julie Buur Trærup

E-mail: [email protected]