Innovation

The Supported Employment Program is one of Melon Fashion Group's most outstanding initiatives, which has earned the company numerous awards and also contributes to UN SDG 8. The project's main goal is to give young people with disabilities, as well as graduates of orphanages and special needs schools, a chance to gain initial work experience and enter the open job market. Importantly, this does not necessarily mean a job within Melon Fashion Group's brands.

This initiative began back in 2013, even before the company's overall ESG strategy was formally defined. The project is run in partnership with the "Rabota-I" center and the Raul Charitable Foundation. In 2013, individuals supported by the center were invited for an internship at the head office in Saint Petersburg. For them specially were created some positions, such as Database Administrator Assistant, Cash Discipline Specialist, and a Service School Role. Starting in 2014, the company's brands gradually joined the project: ZARINA (2014), Befree (2016), Love Republic (2017), and SELA (2020). In their stores, special positions were allocated for trainees. These included Warehouse Assistant and Storekeeper Assistant, Sales Floor Controllers, and Tag Attachists. These are crucial roles that help coordinate store operations and require patience, attention to detail, and focus on routine tasks.

Sergey Ustinov, Melon Fashion Group's Sustainable Development Manager, shared the program's results with us: "The participants underwent internship and training in our stores for 6 to 9 months. In the first six years – from 2013 to 2019 – over 160 young people gained this experience. Of them, nine people were hired as full-time employees at the initial stage of the project. We never teach only specific things related only to our stores or clothing. These are universal skills: teamwork, following instructions, basic communication, discipline – all of this is helpful in everyday life and in any job on the open market.”

In 2022, over 50% of the candidates from the "Rabota-I" center were accepted for an internship at the Melon Fashion Group office. The company also launched a mentoring program where specialists from the "Rabota-I" center trained Melon Fashion Group's staff on the correct methodology and psychology for interacting with the trainees. This training ensured the trainees felt comfortable in their new work environment. By the end of 2022, 32 candidates had completed preliminary training for future work in the stores. Additionally, positions for an Administrative Assistant and an HR Assistant were opened at the office. These individuals were hired as full-time staff and continue to work there today. As Sergey Ustinov noted: "Genuine inclusive employment is not just an empty phrase for Melon Fashion Group. I personally work in the same department with one of the young women – we interact with each other almost daily."

The Supported Employment Program is unique in Russia. Therefore, acting as both an investor and the largest platform for this initiative, Melon Fashion Group continues to actively develop and expand the project. They are raising awareness among the company's employees and attracting more and more people to participate in the program, creating a culture of empathy, inclusion, and shared responsibility. By developing this long-term initiative, Melon Fashion Group demonstrates that program directly supports SDG 8 by helping people from vulnerable groups gain access to meaningful, dignified work and integrate into the labor market.

Inspiration

According to Sergey Ustinov, Melon Fashion Group's Sustainable Development Manager, the fundamental source of inspiration for Melon Fashion Group to launch this initiative was their introduction to the "Rabota-I" center. At that time, the "Rabota-I" center was trying to develop this program on its own, as no large business or company was paying them any attention. Even though the candidates supported by the "Rabota-I" center are capable people, no one took them seriously or was prepared to allocate additional resources for them. Furthermore, there was no comprehensive system in place to support them at that time. It was then that Melon Fashion Group noticed this situation. As Sergey Ustinov said: “We thought: why can't we do this? Why can't we give these people a chance to work, gain initial experience, start earning an income, and lead independent lives? It was a mix of discovering the 'Rabota-I' center, a personal drive, and a desire to make a change.”

After the start of the program, the main challenge the company faced was psychological. There was internal resistance, accompanied by many questions from both office and store employees: “How can we work and correctly interact with disabled people”. Therefore, in the early stages of the program, the primary goal was precisely to raise awareness and understanding. Over time, through systematic initiatives such as training, mentoring, and internal communication – including a regular feature called “Melon Without Borders”, which shares stories about such things as: what disability is, their features, unique needs, ways to interact respectfully with people with disabilities etc. – understanding within the company has grown. More employees have begun to express genuine interest in the program. In this way, the company continuously raises awareness about inclusion and breaks down stereotypes.

As a result, Melon Fashion Group is building not only an inclusive workplace but also an inclusive mindset that is later on inevitably spreading into other spheres of life as well. 

Overall impact

Melon Fashion Group's Supported Employment Program contributes to the achievement of UN SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. Furthermore, in 2023, the program was scaled up and renamed "Vsyo Poluchitsya" ("Everything Will Work Out"), evolving into a nationwide project to share the practice of supported employment. Melon Fashion Group became the foundational platform for developing this project, as it operates over 900 stores across Russian Federation. Additionally, the company trained over 30 regional coordinators who are now skilled in finding and selecting candidates with disabilities, as well as interacting with them correctly both during interviews and throughout their internships. The project now has many partner employers, such as Magnit, MAJOR, KFC, and others. The project is also active in 12 cities.

Thanks to their program, by the beginning of 2024, over 1,000 candidates with disabilities or experience in the orphanage system had participated in the project. These candidates were from cities including St. Petersburg, Krasnodar, Kazan, Tomsk, Surgut, Kaluga, Smolensk, Veliky Novgorod, and others. Of these participants, more than a third – specifically, over 350 people – gained their first work experience in retail. Moreover, over 70 people were hired directly into stores owned by Melon Fashion Group.

Through this initiative, Melon Fashion Group not only provides real employment opportunities but also fosters a culture of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunity across Russia. By combining systematic training, mentoring, and partnerships, the company demonstrates how business can actively support social development, empower vulnerable groups, and contribute to a more equitable labor market.

Business benefit

Beyond making a substantial contribution to developing an inclusive environment in Russia and raising awareness among both its own employees and other companies, the program has become a flagship initiative of the Melon Fashion Group's ESG strategy. The implementation of this program has allowed Melon Fashion Group not only to improve the lives of people with limited opportunities but also to make a positive mark on societal development. Furthermore, the Supported Employment Program has helped draw public attention to this issue, which contributed to the project's scaling.

Thanks to the Supported Employment Program, Melon Fashion Group was awarded the HR Brand 2021 prize in the "Equal Opportunities" category. Additionally, the company won first place at the VI St. Petersburg International Labour Forum. In 2024, the "Vsyo Poluchitsya, or Changemakers" ("Everything Will Work Out or Changemakers") program was named one of the top three winners in the "Creating a Society of Equal Opportunities" nomination. Thus, the program has not only managed to make its mark and generate a positive response for the development of an inclusive environment but has also increased brand recognition.

As a result, the Supported Employment Program has proven to be both a social and strategic asset. It not only strengthens the company’s reputation as a socially responsible leader but also demonstrates measurable impact by creating tangible opportunities for vulnerable groups. Melon Fashion Group has shown that investing in social initiatives can generate meaningful business benefits – from increased brand recognition to fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.

Social and environmental benefit

The Supported Employment Program has become one of Melon Fashion Group’s most significant social initiatives, creating real opportunities for people from vulnerable groups to find decent work, gain confidence, and build independent lives. By promoting inclusion and equal access to employment, the company contributes to long-term positive change in society and sets an example for other businesses in Russia.

In its operations, Melon Fashion Group adheres to several UN Sustainable Development Goals, specifically 3, 8, 9, 12, and 13. Regarding SDG 8, the partnership with the "Rabota-I" center led to more than just the Supported Employment Program. For example, in 2020, the brand "SELA," which focuses on family audiences, together with "Rabota-I," launched an online career guidance project for children. The project's goal was to help parents and children choose a future profession and to raise awareness that not all children can learn in the same way due to health conditions or mental disabilities. This project received significant support from the popular recruiting company Headhunter and the magazine "Expert." It reached an audience of approximately 6 million people. Furthermore, "SELA" launched the "Not from Scratch" project to help women return to work after maternity leave. The project offered an educational program to help them refresh their skills according to the current job market. The initiative highlighted the connection between everyday skills and professional applications. This special project was implemented in collaboration with "Yandex.Praktikum" and Hh.ru.

Additionally, in line with SDGs 3, 9, 12, and 13, Melon Fashion Group runs the "Green Office" project. This initiative is the organic continuation of a comfortable, award-winning office , featuring an indoor garden and focusing on conscious consumption. The headquarters has various collection containers for different types of waste, from paper and batteries to textiles, PET-1 bottles, and plastic caps.

Beyond this, Melon Fashion Group is actively developing its "Sustainable Packaging" project. An example of this project is the "One Bag" sub-project: it means that the item is produced, packed into a bag with handles, shipped in that same bag, stored in it at the store, and finally sold to the customer in it. This approach saves millions of bags per year. The brands "ZARINA" and "Befree" are already actively participating, and the company plans to involve its other brands as well.

It is also important to note that Melon Fashion Group conducts not only production audits but also ethical audits of its suppliers. For the ethical audit, the Sustainability Team checks how responsible a factory is. This includes inspecting its water treatment facilities, whether it provides fair wages and comfortable working conditions for its employees, what chemicals it uses, etc. In 2023, 50% of all products were manufactured in factories that had passed an ethical audit. Furthermore, all products from Melon Fashion Group brands undergo strict quality and safety control, including mandatory certification.

Thus, Melon Fashion Group serves as an example of a successful socially responsible business.

Interview

Sergey Ustinov, Melon Fashion Group's Sustainable Development Manager