May 4, 2026
EASTERN CAPE, South Africa (May 4, 2026) – Today, BESTSELLER announced a $3 million commitment to the Regenerative Fund for Nature, expanding support for farmers’ livelihoods and land restoration in South Africa.
With this contribution, BESTSELLER joins Conservation International, Kering and Inditex as a partner in the Regenerative Fund for Nature, which helps farmers who produce the essential raw materials for fashion and other sectors — including cotton, wool, leather and cashmere — adopt regenerative practices that can restore nature, mitigate climate change, improve animal welfare and strengthen economic opportunities in local communities.
“This investment reflects our commitment to strengthening our value chain by supporting more resilient landscapes,” said Dorte Rye Olsen, Head of Sustainability at BESTSELLER. “Through the Regenerative Fund for Nature, and as part of our Fashion FWD strategy, we are working with partners to help scale approaches over time. The aim is to contribute to outcomes that benefit nature, people and the future of supply chains.”
To date, the Fund’s portfolio includes 14 projects in 10 countries, with 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) of farms and grazing lands enrolled, and 105,000 beneficiaries who are directly or indirectly impacted by its partners’ financial contributions.
BESTSELLER’s contribution will expand work already underway with sheep farmers and herders in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, where communities have grazed livestock for generations. The region is one of South Africa’s most ecologically diverse, with grasslands and catchments that play a critical role in supporting freshwater systems. In the Eastern Cape, the Regenerative Fund for Nature and Conservation International are working with local communities to support a return to traditional herding practices, such as rotational grazing, which help restore vital grasslands, reduce erosion and improve the land’s ability to store climate-warming carbon.
The new commitment builds on earlier support from Fund co-founder Kering since 2021 and Inditex since 2023, which has directly helped nearly 1,000 farmers across 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) in the Eastern Cape adopt more regenerative grazing practices and improve animal welfare. With this new funding, the aim is to expand the success of initial projects in the region to a larger, landscape-focused initiative in collaboration with local partners.
“Over the past five years, this program has shown measurable benefits for farmers’ livelihoods and for the health of their lands,” said Virginia Keesee, who leads Conservation International’s global fashion and nature initiatives. “By listening to and partnering with local communities, this program is restoring grasslands, strengthening long-term productivity and building resilience for the future. Importantly, the program also enables better access to the market, helping to support their livelihoods. BESTSELLER’s support will help us expand that impact across the region.”
Expanding regenerative agriculture
Nature is essential to the clothes we wear every day — the leather in our shoes and bags, the cotton in our T-shirts and jeans, and the wool and cashmere in our sweaters.
Producing these materials can come at an environmental cost, but opportunities exist to produce materials in ways that benefit nature and people.
The Regenerative Fund for Nature provides grants to partners, farming communities and non-governmental organizations that are implementing regenerative agricultural practices. By shifting to farming practices that work with nature, the Fund is helping reduce the fashion industry’s environmental footprint while strengthening the livelihoods of the people who produce its raw materials.
“In the Eastern Cape, healthy grasslands sustain far more than livestock — they underpin water security, biodiversity and the well-being of rural communities,” said Alice Barlow-Zambodla, who leads grassland restoration work in the Eastern Cape for Conservation South Africa, Conservation International’s local affiliate. “By working with herders to restore grazing practices that align with natural ecological cycles, this partnership supports regenerative livestock production, revitalizes communal rangelands and strengthens the long-term resilience of the Umzimvubu landscape.”
“This work helps connect fashion companies to the communities where their raw materials are produced,” said Jim Fitzpatrick, Conservation International’s Director of the Regenerative Fund for Nature. “Our strong local partnerships are the foundation of our approach and have demonstrated how important building trust with local communities is for delivering positive outcomes to people, nature, and climate.”
“Since co-founding the Regenerative Fund for Nature with Conservational International, we have seen the power of collective action and collaborative investment driving real results for rural communities, and the lands they rely on,” said Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability and Institutional Affairs Officer of Kering. “We welcome BESTSELLER whose partnership will enhance and expand the reach of the Fund in South Africa. This new commitment is an important signal that more companies are recognizing the need to collaborate on regenerative agriculture, combining resources and efforts for maximum impact and scale.”
Read more about the Regenerative Fund for Nature on our blog:
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About Conservation International: Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, for biodiversity and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples and local communities to help people and nature thrive together. Go to Conservation.org for more, and follow our work on Conservation News, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
About BESTSELLER: BESTSELLER is an international, family-owned fashion company founded by the Holch Povlsen family in Denmark in 1975. It has a range of more than 20 brands including ONLY, JACK & JONES and VERO MODA selling clothes and accessories for women, men, teenagers and children. Products are based on the concept of good quality at competitive prices and are sold in 90 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Oceania and the Middle East. The company has more than 3,100 branded retail stores in 47 countries globally and employs more than 25,000 colleagues.