Sustainability progress report 2017 - 2020

“Regenerative agriculture is a multi-benefit solution which supports Kering’s sustainability ambitions to mitigate our environmental impacts and deliver positive outcomes along our supply chain.” -- Marie-Claire Daveu, Kering’s Chief Sustainability Officer

Sourcing Sustainably

Regenerative Farming And Retro Innovation

Not all innovation needs to be “high tech”. Solutions like regenerative farming can be the most effective when dealing with natural ecosystems.

The good news is that regenerative agriculture and grazing can protect and reverse the environmental degradation caused by our reliance on raw materials as an industry.

In fact, the practice of regenerative agriculture has extraordinary outcomes : restoring healthy soils, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and acting as a carbon sink that mitigates climate change. In light of this, we believe we all need to rapidly transition to this sustainable approach as an industry.

So, as another first in fashion, we partnered with the Savory Institute to advocate verified regenerative sourcing solutions and expand the regenerative agriculture framework in fashion’s global supply chains.

Mongolian Goat Herders, Fashion & NASA: A True Story

An increased world demand for cashmere has resulted in a surge in goat numbers in Mongolia. Exacerbated by climate change, the increased grazing pressure has led to the degradation and desertification of the native grasslands across the country.

Kering has responded to this through an innovative supply chain program:

  • We set up the South Gobi Cashmere Project between Kering, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Stanford University.
  • Over the last five years, the Project has been working with herder communities and NGOs to improve fiber quality, pasture management and biodiversity conservation, for the benefit of all parties involved.
  • In 2017, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) joined the project, providing satellite images to monitor pasture quality and provide new information on which areas can support pasturing. This phase of the project is still in its early days, but the potential for better-managed grazing is huge.
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