The producers whose livelihoods depend on the land are, in aggregate, degrading it. This is not an accusation — it is the starting point.
Nogoon Nutag begins from accountability without simplification: the wool and cashmere sector taking ownership of its share of the problem, and asking others across the global supply chain to do the same.
A structural shift is underway in Western markets. Traceable, responsibly produced natural fibre is now a competitive advantage, and EU law — the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive — is making verifiable supply chains a requirement.
For Mongolia, protecting the pasture is becoming a precondition for growing the fibre export sector, not a cost against it.
At the UN Convention to Combat Desertification COP17, hosted in Mongolia, Nogoon Nutag takes shape as a public side event — a tri-voice panel on responsible production, rangeland stewardship, and international markets.
It continues the #Fashion4Land conversation the UNCCD began at COP16 in Riyadh — this time organised from Mongolian soil, with Mongolian voices.
Nogoon Nutag calls on Mongolia's wool and cashmere sector to actively support rangeland management research and restoration — as sectoral responsibility, not charity.
It looks to the mining sector for a model: just as reclamation obligations require mining to invest in the land it uses, fibre producers can invest in the rangeland they depend on.
The longer aim is a Responsible Production Standard — drawing on Green Gold's Pasture User Group methodology, adaptable for certification and recognition in international markets.
A shared standard across the global cashmere value chain, so that responsible fibre can be identified, verified, and trusted.
The Mongolian Rangeland Research Center. A UNCCD-accredited NGO based in Ulaanbaatar, formerly the implementing partner of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation's Green Gold project. Co-Chair of the Global Support Group for the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026.
greengoldmrrc.com →A Berlin-based brand built on ethically sourced Mongolian yak wool and cashmere. Wollken initiated the Nogoon Nutag side-event concept and carries the EU-market and supply-chain voice. A part of every Wollken sale supports this work.
wollkenstudio.com →For partnership, press, or to take part in the COP17 side event, get in touch with the organising partners.