Owner of fashion brand Zara, Inditex has signed a €15 million (US$16.2m) investment agreement to scale the work of ‘Regenerative Fund for Nature’operated by the Conservation International global non-profit.
Conservation International launched the fund in 2021 along with Kering, the luxury goods retail group. The fund aims to transform by 2026, around 10,000 hectares of crop and rangelands into regenerative agricultural systems.
Inditex raised US$16.2 million through its scheme called #BRING YOUR BAG launched in 2021. Under this scheme, Inditex brands charged all its customers for single-use paper shopping bags. The aim was to encourage the use of reusable bags.
The fashion industry is dependent on agriculture for its numerous raw materials that include cotton, leather, wool, and cashmere. This investment will be utilized to enhance sustainability in the fashion industry by promoting sustainable agriculture.
Regenerative agricultural practices are one of the ways of reducing environmental impacts. It promotes methods that enhance biodiversity, increase soil health, restores water cycles, and act as a carbon sink.
Conservation International seeks new funding partners for its programs which fund farming groups, project leaders, NGOs and other stakeholders who are ready to test, prove and scale regenerative practices.
Besides Conservation International Inditex’s ongoing shopping bag charge initiative is also supporting five other environmental projects and collaborations. This includes World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to aid in the protection of ecosystems and fauna in danger of extinction in South America and China.
Inditex promoting regenerative agriculture
