Representatives of the Mongolian wool and cashmere industry participated in the 'Premiere Vision Paris' exhibition, a global event for fashion trendsetters, and presented the current situation and further development of sustainable production. Dr. U. Sarangoo and Mrs. B. Dulguun, members of the STEPECOLAB project team of AVSF Mongolia, funded by the European Union, took part in this exhibition.

Mr. M. Dondogdorj, Head of the Light Industry Policy Implementation Department of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Light Industry, Mrs. D. Altantsetseg, Executive Director of Mongolian Wool and Cashmere Association (MWCA), Mrs. B. Battsetseg, Head of the Certification Department, Dr. Ts. Enkh-Amgalan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mongolian National Federation of Pasture User Groups of Herders (NFPUG) and Mrs. Ts. Altantuya, Director of the National Association of Mongolian  Agricultural Cooperatives participated in the exhibition. Also, representatives of 10 companies including Gobi ​​Corporation, Cashmere Holding, Snow Fields, Khanbogd Cashmere, Nans Cashmere, Munkhbumuud, Gobi-Erdene Cashmere, Gurvan Sor, Uguuj Shim, and Goyol Cashmere, which are leaders in the sustainable production of cashmere participated in the exhibition to introduce and promote Mongolian wool and cashmere products to major foreign brands and buyers in order to increase the industry competitiveness.

Introduced its national standards and promoted its achievements in sustainable production

The participation under the name of Mongolian Wool and Cashmere Association in the exhibition held at Nord Villepinte in Paris on July 5-7 made it one of the important points. This is because Mongolian wool and cashmere industries have highlighted their achievements and efforts to develop sustainable production from the herder’s field to the consumer's hands. In doing so, they showed the unique advantages of Mongolian wool and cashmere, innovative solutions in raw material preparation and production, and the achievements made within the framework of environmentally friendly and sustainable development policies in line with global standards.

Visitors to the Mongolian exhibition booth were very interested in the national standards MNS 6891:2020 'Responsible Nomads', MNS 6926:2021 'Guidelines for Sustainable Textile Production', and the demonstration of the animal raw material tracking system /RMTS/. About 400 visitors visited Mongolian booth during the exhibition days, and many organizations and individuals expressed their interest in cooperating with the factories in the future.

Expand the scope of promotion activities in France and other countries of the European Union

During these days, distinguished guests such as H.E. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the Republic of France, Ms. U. Nyamkhuu, Economic Attaché Mr. T. Bayarjargal, and former representative of AVSF in Mongolia, Mr. Guillaume Tuati, visited.

In addition, the embassy in France received the participants and discussed the issue of cooperation and expansion of the scope of promotion of Mongolian wool and cashmere in France and European Union Member States. Representatives of the industry attended workshops and talks on sustainability, footprint and eco-certification in the wool and cashmere sector according to their needs, explored the next possible exhibition and yarn, fabric and color trends for 2023-2024 and visited Tex World.

Important meetings were held to bring economic and business relations between Italy and Mongolia to a new level

Moreover, during these days, a delegation led by Mr.  B. Purevdorj, Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Mongolian-Italian Parliamentary Friendship Group, and representatives of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry, MWCA, the Mongolian Sustainable Finance Association and the manufacturers of Mongolian wool and cashmere, paid a visit Italy. On this occasion, they met with Mr. Ettore Rosato, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives, one of the highest legislative bodies of the Republic of Italy, and other representatives. The participants organized business meetings with representatives of state-owned and private companies such as ACIMIT, Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, its member organizations and loan guarantee, financial SACE group, European Brokers Assicurazioni Srl company and SIMEST of the savings and loan group,  Loro Piana SpA Group and Falconeri Srl Company, the best brands of the Italian knitting and textile industry successfully and introduced about the production activities with advanced technology.

The EBA Financial Company, which is officially accredited by the SACE Group under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Italy expressed its interest in cooperating with the Mongolian Wool and Cashmere Association by signing a Memorandum of Understanding to identify the optimal financing solution for the implementation of the medium and long-term program for the development of the wool and cashmere industry in Mongolia. The representatives held an official meeting with the management of companies such as Autefa - Octir and Bigagli, the leading brands of Italian textile equipment production, and agreed to cooperate in the supply of equipment that is primarily needed by Mongolian wool and cashmere industry companies and enterprises according to an integrated plan.

In this context, Italian financial guarantee groups and companies, such as SACE, SIMEST, and EBA, have discussed loans of up to 5 million euros for each purchase on preferential terms for a period of 3-5 years. The fact that we were able to reach a mutual agreement after discussing the above issues is the most important result of the work carried out within the framework of the visit, and it has become an important step in bringing the economic and business relations between the two countries to a new level.

The opportunity to expand the markets to the Member States of the European Union has opened, and the development of the industry has been brought to a new level

The representatives of the Mongolian wool cashmere industry joined this exhibition and participated as a team not only advertised that they are different from other foreign competitors but also opened the opportunity to expand the market in the countries of the European Union and contributed to the development of the industry to a new level. Previously, companies participating in international exhibitions only advertised their brands and products, but this time, they highlighted that Mongolia is an independent country, and it was innovative that when scanning the QR code of the sample products, the names and photos of the herders who supplied the raw materials, as well as the information about the protection of the environment, pastures, and animal welfare were displayed and shown on the map. Showing that it is environmentally friendly and waste-free, the packaging displayed at the exhibition was made from cashmere and wool waste, the brochure was made from eco-paper, and the wrapping threads were made from hair, wool, and cashmere fiber waste. Also, visitors interested in the exhibition were presented with anklets made of industrial waste cashmere, highlighting the Mongolian national content. The representatives agreed that it is really important to place the flag of Mongolia when participating in international events to highlight that Mongolia is an independent country and clarify its national identity. Most importantly, the participants concluded that they were able to give the main message to the European market that Mongolia where the cashmere sector is the second largest driving force of the economy is “a country that is engaged in sustainable production, can trace its origin, and can process raw materials from healthy animals and pastures with 40 years of technological experience and produce final products”.

P. Narandelger