This fall, Mongolia’s Academy of Science and the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) signed a memorandum of cooperation. The goal of the collaboration is to assess and certify sustainable wool and cashmere production operations in order to reduce the negative impact of cashmere production on the environment, provide a better environment for the well-being of herd animals, and increase the ability of herders to recover their livelihoods.
Some of the objectives the partnership will focus on are:
- Jointly developing the methodology of the MLE of SFA according to the International Social and Environmental Probability Credentialing and Labeling Standards.
- Developing a three-year data collection strategy, work plan, and budget for the implementation of the MLE methodology in Mongolia.
- Identifying potential data sources at national, regional and local levels to facilitate basic data collection.
- Establishing an interdisciplinary working group consisting of experienced researchers in the 5 main areas of sustainable cashmere production identified by the SFA: animal welfare, biodiversity and land use, herdsmen’s working conditions, cashmere quality, and management.
