The OTB Group is providing its employees with paid time off for their involvement with non-profit organisations. The Italian fashion conglomerate, which owns brands such as Diesel, Jil Sander, and Maison Margiela, launched the "Brave to Care" project together with its non-profit organisation, the OTB Group announced on Monday.

The social projects in which employees choose to participate must be supported by the OTB Foundation. These include organisations that support children and young people in psychosocial distress, facilities for people with disabilities, soup kitchens and social supermarkets, as well as women's shelters for victims of gender-based violence.

In the first iteration of the volunteer programme, more than 130 employees from the Italian offices contributed 700 hours across eight projects in and around Milan, Bologna, and Vicenza.

"Thanks to this initiative, our employees had the opportunity to experience unique moments and actively participate in the many activities of the OTB Foundation," said Renzo Rosso. "In my circular vision of business – where a company creates value, produces, sells, and returns a portion of it to society – the commitment of people is essential, and I am pleased that our employees share this spirit."

The OTB chairman hopes that other companies will follow suit and launch similar projects.

A second iteration is already planned for the coming months, in which the group intends to increase the number of hours available and expand to other regions.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.