LVMH partners with Circular Bioeconomy Alliance to drive regenerative agriculture in Africa

Luxury conglomerate LVMH has announced a new partnership with King Charles III’s Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA), an organisation centred around the production of sustainable cotton in Africa.

The collaboration comes as part of LVMH’s environmental programme, Life360, and its past pledges towards supporting regenerative agriculture.

The duo will also be working alongside the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Reforest’Action, European Forest Institute (EFI) and Pretaterra.

CBA’s efforts particularly address climate conditions that have affected Lake Chad, Nigeria, which it is looking to aid through new sustainable and regenerative methods of cotton production while restoring biodiversity.

Its programme, ‘Living Lab’, will be driven by LVMH backing, enabling it to focus on regenerative agroforestry and land restoration, by working with 500 cotton farmers to plant trees alongside their cotton crops.

In a release, the fashion group said that introducing diverse trees into cotton farms can help with soil fertility and water retention, as well as increasing biodiversity and income for farmers.

Speaking on the partnership, CBA’s chair Marc Palahí, said: “This is a very special project for the CBA as we demonstrate how the need to decarbonise economic sectors like the fashion industry can act as a catalyst to restore degraded landscapes – turning them into regenerative ones while providing jobs, prosperity and hope to Africa.

“The climate-poverty-land degradation crisis affecting Africa requires holistic approaches, connecting regenerative landscapes to sustainable markets.”