If you search the word « Mongolia » in Google and go to the images section, what do you see? Unspoilt landscapes dotted with round, white tents, the so-called yurts or ger, covered with animal skins, and men and women in traditional dress taking care of their families and livestock.
Today the trend in the apparel industry is “fast fashion” where low prices are key. Which obliges the factory owner to continue to pay his employees on a minimum wage basis. Luckily this is different for factories that are following the Fairtrade principles where people get a higher salary and can receive some of the sales profit.
I travel a lot and at one of my latest trip, this time to Mongolia, I was able to see with my own eyes the effect of climate change on the pasture land due to the increased herds of cashmere goats. Cashmere fiber is mostly sourced out of Mongolia and for a while under the radar.
