With the "Resilient Threads" program, Loro Piana strengthens its environmental and social commitment in Mongolia

Loro Piana announces the launch of "Resilient Threads", a 5-year program supporting Mongolia’s cashmere cooperatives, herding communities, and steppes of Mongolia.

For over 40 years, Loro Piana has been committed to source the best Mongolian cashmere, establishing itself as the historical advocate for cashmere excellence. In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the Maison operates its only manufacturing plant outside of Italy, where cashmere fibres are processed, while fostering long-lasting relationships with local cooperatives and collaborating with expert local herders to ensure the transmission and preservation of their centuries-old tradition of fibres sourcing.

This initiative is dedicated to fostering and strengthening herders' livelihoods across five districts (also called soums) in Mongolia's highly vulnerable Sukhbaatar Province and aims to build supply chain resilience while protecting the biodiversity of Mongolia's Eastern Steppe Region, one of the world's last intact grassland ecosystems. The region is hit by heavy climate disruptions, particularly the Dzud - an extreme winter disaster that prevent grazing, limits access to feed and water, and results in widespread livestock losses and serious impacts on human health.

As part of Loro Piana’s longstanding commitment to biodiversity preservation and animal welfare, while empowering people, the “Resilient Threads” program is the result of two years of preparatory work, built upon cooperatives and local herders' expertise, in partnership with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), SFA (Sustainable Fibre Alliance), and OCT (Odyssey Conservation Trust). Building on comprehensive research focused on understanding the climate related risks, the program aligns with Mongolia's economic, climate, biodiversity, and equity goals: from the beginning, the project has been co-designed with the government, local partners, and herder cooperatives to assess priority needs and strategies.

The program takes the holistic “One Health” approach as it considers the well-being and health of people, animals, and the environment as interconnected. This year, the program will establish the first mobile One Health Hub, reaching remote locations with vehicles to deliver a combination of services including preventive healthcare and vaccination campaigns, trainings, and awareness initiatives on healthcare issues, aligned with the government health programmes. Furthermore, a biodiversity centre will promote rangeland health: a seeds bank will be established to protect and grow some plants that are essential for the interconnected wellbeing of environment, animals, and humans, as they combat soil erosion and act against climate change, have active principles useful for medicinal purpose, or are connected with alimentary supply chain, allowing people livelihood diversification.

At Loro Piana, sourcing the world’s finest raw materials is not only a necessity, but also a strategic priority. That is why the Maisoninvests significantly in the regions and communities it works with. Loro Piana work closely with its sourcing partners, all over the world from Peru to Mongolia to New Zealand, providing long term support to help strengthen local capacity and ensure the continuity of high-quality supply chains. These partnerships are essential to the Maison’s operations, as the resilience of its business depends on the wellbeing and stability of those who produce its raw materials.

This project is fully aligned with LIFE 360, the environmental LVMH Group’s strategy, which promotes responsible sourcing and the active protection of ecosystems. The Group and its Maisons are committed to avoid sourcing in areas at risk of deforestation or desertification, and to restoring 5 million hectares of natural habitats by 2030. “Resilient Threads” is a concrete expression of these commitments, built in partnership, implemented on the ground.