NEW YORK (June 15)-The Wildlife Conservation Society, EDUN, and Sephora announced today a partnership to support the Conservation Cotton Initiative (CCI), which aims to create sustainable livelihoods for local African farmers through organic agriculture and the conservation of wildlife.
WCS and EDUN have collaborated on CCI since 2007 and currently work in Zambia, Madagascar, and Uganda. CCI trains farmers, supports their communities, and helps them manage and safeguard their lands, the environment, and wildlife. The innovative program shows how economic growth does not have to be at the expense of people and the environment but that it can support them.
Sephora will be contributing to CCI by selling limited edition EDUN for Sephora make-up pal
ettes. Each palette is enclosed in a natural wood case and an organic cotton drawstring pouch made in Uganda. Three dollars of each sale will go to the Wildlife Conservation Society to fund activities of the Conservation Cotton Initiative in Uganda.
“With a large percentage of people in Uganda living off the land, it is imperative that their natural
resources are protected,” said Dr. James Deutsch, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Africa program. “Working with EDUN, which has been a global leader in promoting markets in Africa, is a natural fit for the Wildlife Conservation Society. We appreciate Sephora’s support in promoting this important project.”
WCS has experience from around the world on working with local communities and conservation of biodiversity; while EDUN, an ethical clothing company founded in 2005 by Bono and Ali Hewson, provides a market for the organically produced cotton and helps their consumers become aware of critical social and environmental issues in Africa.
The CCI promotes the adoption of organic, conservation-friendly farming practices in and around regions of global importance for biodiversity. By eliminating the use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, the farmers earn premium prices from high demand for organic cotton and the food crops they grow along with the cotton. Participating farmers must commit to measures designed to control deforestation and protect wildlife. Making these incentives work is a key component of CCI. Although only a young project, CCI has already trained hundreds of farmers and supported the conservation large tracts of wildlife habitat.
EDUN’s desire to be socially and environmentally responsible in the production of their clothing in addition to their goal of using business to drive economic growth and WCS’s practice of ensuring that land is well managed and does not threaten wildlife, brought the two organizations together for this innovative project.
Contact: Stephen Sautner: (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org)John Delaney: (1-718-220-3275; jdelaney@wcs.org)Sophie Bass: (1-718-220-6853; sbass@wcs.org)
The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes toward nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.
Special Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to: www.wcs.org/donation
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