The Estée Lauder Companies UK & Ireland signs The National Literacy Trust’s Vision for Literacy Business Pledge 2020

Press Release, 13 Feb 2020

Today the Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) UK & Ireland adds its name to The National Literacy Trust’s Vision for Literacy Business Pledge 2020 and commits to advancing literacy in the UK as part of tackling social mobility. The Pledge further emphasises the company’s commitment to raising literacy levels in local disadvantaged communities to help children acquire the necessary tools and skills to become healthy and productive adults.

Sue Fox, Senior Vice President/ General Manager, ELC UK & Ireland, said:

“The art of story telling is part of our company’s heritage. Having the opportunity to listen to or read wonderful stories that heighten the imagination and vocabulary is something that I truly believe is a gift that every child in all communities should benefit from. We know that this is not possible for all children so funding new libraries in primary schools, donating books and providing volunteering opportunities for our employees to read to children will hopefully give the joy of story telling to many more children and families around the country.”

Anna Bartle, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, ELC UK & Ireland, said:

“It’s estimated that nearly 800,000 children in the UK do not have a book of their own at home. As a company we are taking action to address this issue and help children acquire the necessary literacy skills they need to improve their educational attainment and ultimately increase the likelihood of upward social mobility.”

The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity that works with schools and communities to give disadvantaged children the literacy skills they need to succeed in life. The Vision for Literacy Business Pledge 2020 emphasises the importance of businesses taking action in areas of need in their local community.

Over the past 12 months, ELC UK & Ireland has donated over 6,000 books and directly impacted over 1,000 children through its partnership with charity United Way’s Reading Oasis programme, which builds dedicated spaces in primary schools in disadvantaged areas, with the aim of giving every child the opportunity to learn to love reading. The partnership with United Way enables company employees to volunteer their time to support the ‘Reading Buddies’ initiative, through one-off library building and ongoing monthly group reading opportunities.

In addition, most recently, a pre-Christmas company book donation campaign across ELC UK & Ireland offices succeeded in collecting hundreds of books for the London Children’s Book Project, which redistributes new and gently used books to children and their families.

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About The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of quality skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The Company’s products are sold in over 150 countries and territories under brand names including: Estée Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, Tommy Hilfiger, M·A·C, Kiton, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Donna Karan New York, DKNY, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Michael Kors, Darphin, Tom Ford, Smashbox, Ermenegildo Zegna, AERIN, RODIN olio lusso, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, GLAMGLOW, By Kilian, BECCA, Too Faced and Dr. Jart+.