Making Mongolian Cashmere More Sustainable

To create a more sustainable supply chain for high-quality cashmere while protecting the livelihoods of the herders producing it, NASA Earth science data is now being used by an innovative collaboration of private companies, NASA, and university researchers.

The effort is called the Sustainable Cashmere Project and is led by Stanford University, with support from NASA's Applied Sciences' Ecological Forecasting project area.

The Project brings together NASA Earth science satellite data, university researchers, the non-profit Wildlife Conservation Society and the operators of the Mongolian copper mine Oyu Tolgoi, the private company Kering, which owns the luxury-brands Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent among others.

The Sustainable Cashmere Project uses rangeland modeling and satellite remote sensing to monitor for improvement in rangeland quality, biodiversity, ecosystem services, and herder livelihoods.

For more information about NASA Earth Science Division’s Applied Sciences Program, please check out our website: https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/

Credits: NASA Applied Sciences
Keith Gaddis, Cindy Schmidt, Aries Keck, Jessica Sheaves, Marissa Kunerth, Mike Brophy: Lead Producers
Becky Chaplin-Kramer (NASA/Stanford): Scientist