Exel Composites to co-operate with Better Shelter to provide temporary shelters to refugee families via UNHCR
EXEL COMPOSITES PLC PRESS RELEASE 20 APRIL 2015
Exel Composites has been selected as a partner in a venture aiming at improving the life of refugees by providing safe and functional temporary shelters. The UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) has placed an order of 10,000 shelters with the social enterprise Better Shelter.
The unique collaboration between the UNHCR, Better Shelter and IKEA Foundation has resulted in a new, innovative, safer and more durable shelter for refugee families around the world. Better Shelter was started by the Housing for All Foundation, a non-profit foundation established by the IKEA Foundation. The aim is to bring dignity and safety to the millions of refugees fleeing violence, armed conflict, persecution and natural disasters.
The shelter is composed of a lightweight composite-reinforced steel frame, roof and wall panels, floor covering and a solar energy system. Special attention has been given to transport volume, weight, easy assembly, price, safety, and comfort. The expected lifespan of the shelter is three years. Prototypes were field-tested by refugees in Ethiopia and Iraq.
Exel Composites, the leading supplier of lightweight and durable composite solutions, has been chosen as a partner for the development and delivery of composite parts for the shelters. The value of the agreement is not disclosed.
-Around 10,000 families will be provided with Better Shelter this upcoming year and that is just the beginning. We will continue to develop the Better Shelter and also other solutions to benefit the many displaced people. Innovation is our strongest driving force, says founder Johan Karlsson at Better Shelter.
-At Exel Composites we are honoured and humble to be part of this important project, addressing one of the most difficult situations facing humanity today. This initiative is a great example of the true meaning of our core values; innovation and sustainability, creating better conditions to millions of people in need, far away from their homes, says Kari Loukola, SVP Sales and Marketing of Exel Composites.
For further information, please contact:
Exel Composites Plc, Mr. Kari Loukola, SVP Sales and Marketing, tel. +358 40 50 40 755, email kari.loukola@exelcomposites.com
For more information and pictures, please visit:
http://bettershelter.org/press/
About Better Shelter
Better Shelter’s mission is to develop and provide innovative housing solutions for the millions of people who lose their homes during conflicts and natural disasters – at prices so low that as many people as possible will benefit from them. Better Shelter is a social enterprise. With entrepreneurial energy and market discipline social change is achieved at scale in a financially self-sustainable way. Every dollar Better Shelter generates in profit is reinvested within the company or distributed to Housing for All Foundation, the company’s philanthropic owner. Better Shelter was previously named Refugee Housing Unit and was until June 2013 a subsidiary of SVID, the Swedish industrial design foundation.
About UNHCR
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people.
In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of some 8,600 people in more than 125 countries continues to help some 33.9 million persons.
About the IKEA Foundation
The IKEA Foundation aims to improve opportunities for children and youth in the world’s poorest communities by funding holistic, long-term programs that can create substantial, lasting change. The Foundation works with strong strategic partners applying innovate approaches to achieve large-scale results in four fundamental areas of a child’s life: a place to call home, a healthy start in life, a quality education; and sustainable family income. Currently funded programs will benefit an estimated 100 million children by 2015.
About Exel Composites
Exel Composites (www.exelcomposites.com) is a leading composite technology company that designs, manufactures and markets composite products and solutions for demanding applications. Exel Composites provides superior customer experience through continuous innovation, world-class operations and long-term partnerships. In 2014 Exel Composites had net sales of MEUR 79 and a personnel of 450.