THE WHAT? LVMH is partnering with the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance in support of its latest Living Lab with a regenerative agriculture project based in Chad.
THE DETAILS The project focuses on developing sustainable cotton production in Africa in a regenerative agroforestry system, which is part of the Great Green Wall project.
The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance was founded by the then Prince of Wales, now His Majesty King Charles III, with the new collaboration bringing together a diversity of partners with experience in multiple areas, as well as local government and research organizations.
Industrial water-intensive cotton production is cited as one of the main loss drivers of the recession of Lake Chad.
According to LVMH: “To address this, the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance’s unique Living Lab in Chad puts forward new sustainable and regenerative methods of cotton production while restoring biodiversity and creating economic opportunities for the local population linked to sustainable cotton value chains.
“Thanks to the support of LVMH, the Living Lab will be able to focus on regenerative agroforestry and land restoration, working with 500 cotton farmers to plant fruit or timber trees alongside their cotton crops.”
Working with the local community, the Living Lab will establish community tree nurseries to grow quality planting materials. It also supports access to planting and harvesting equipment, product storage, and sustainable irrigation technologies.
THE WHY? LVMH stated: “By participating in this project, the world’s leading luxury group, LVMH, takes a further step in line with its environmental program, LIFE360, and its commitments to regenerative agriculture. This joint effort also includes the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Reforest’Action, European Forest Institute (EFI) and Pretaterra.”
Hélène Valade, LVMH Environmental Development Director, said, “Through its LIFE360 environmental strategy, LVMH has committed to making the protection of biodiversity and fighting climate change an absolute priority, and to being an exemplary actor of change. LVMH has set the target to implement regenerative agriculture in all strategic supply chains and to preserve 5 million of hectares by 2030. Already supporting regenerative cotton production in Turkey, LVMH is proud to support its new project in Chad to preserve local biodiversity, fight climate change and desertification.”
