Burberry launches social project with Oxfam in Afghanistan

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Feb 1, 2018

The Burberry Foundation has announced a five-year commitment with charity organisation Oxfam and PUR Project to support the Afghan cashmere industry.

The country is the third largest global producer of cashmere fibre, behind Mongolia and China, and exports roughly 100 tons of cashmere per year. This represents a 7% of total global output.

It will be the first time a programme of this kind launches in Afghanistan; with herders of cashmere goats set to receive special training and tools with the aim of helping them enhance their livelihoods and lift themselves out of poverty.  

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This will be achieved through community-owned cooperatives, which will be developed by Oxfam and PUR Project, across the country. Local herders will be provided with technical skills, essential services and access to new markets. The programme will also put special emphasis on promoting gender equality by ensuring women are integrated into the cooperatives, and will offer leadership training for women.

Leanne Wood, a trustee of the Burberry Foundation and Chief People, Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer at Burberry said: “We are very proud to build this programme to support and improve the livelihoods of thousands of people across the country.

“There is enormous potential for the Afghan cashmere industry and we believe our programme will deliver resources that will go some way to making it a profitable and sustainable industry for local communities.”

The support programme is part of Burberry’s commitment to positively impact one million people in the communities that sustain the wider luxury industry over the next five years.

This was announced in the luxury company’s Responsibility agenda to 2022, ‘Creating Tomorrow’s Heritage’, launched last year.