Ulaanbaatar
Global brands and manufacturers show interest in Mongolian cashmere
Economy
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. Large
scale international brands, such as Gucci, and H&M, have expressed
their readiness to partner if cashmere is prepared in an environmentally
friendly and sustainable way in Mongolia.
The
statement was made by representatives of the aforementioned companies during
the conference that was jointly organized by the UNDP and the Ministry of Food,
Agriculture and Light Industry under the theme, ‘Multi-Stakeholder
Collaboration for Systemic Change: The Case of Sustainable Cashmere in
Mongolia’ on June 12. The discussion was held in aims of developing
environmentally friendly cashmere production and supporting the initiative in
Mongolia.
In
her opening speech, UNDP Resident Representative Ms. Beate Trankmann
highlighted that companies are against wholesale production of cashmere, and
have begun to consider the environment, livestock and livelihoods of cashmere
producers comprehensively, and noted that Mongolia has the opportunity to
promote the value of traditional animal husbandry—livestock herding that is
close to nature.
Representative of H&M Asia
Sherry Gu said, “Some large scale international brands have recently begun to
stop production that is not environmentally friendly and violates animal
rights. However, this does not mean that cashmere products will come to a
complete halt. We are ready to purchase cashmere at a high price from Mongolia
if it is prepared in a sustainable way, such as being environmentally friendly,
and taken from healthy livestock without child labor.”
Head
of the UNDP Green Commodities Programme Andrew Bovarnick said, “The reason we
gathered here today is to create a partnership platform for the government,
private entities, domestic companies and herders. There is an opportunity for
domestic manufacturers to put their products on the global market and make
profit. In order to do this, we must work together.”
The
conference was attended by representatives of UNDP Green Commodities Programme,
Mongolian Wool and Cashmere Association, AVSF, Sustainable Fibre Alliance,
Textile Exchange, the global luxury group Kering and research institutes.
Mongolia
produces 40 percent of the global cashmere. As a result of the Cashmere
programme being implemented by the government, 1,570 job opportunities were
created, with sales reaching MNT 1.3 trillion in 2018.
