Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network Showcases Nature-Positive Innovation at the 2025 Textile Exchange Conference
10th of October 2025
As the global textile industry prepares to gather at the 2025 Textile Exchange (TE) Conference in Lisbon (12-17 October 2025) under the theme Shifting Landscapes, Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN) will spotlight pioneering efforts in nature-positive and regenerative fiber production emerging from Patagonia and the Southern Cone.
Photo credit: Ezequiel Infantino, WCS Argentina
This year’s Conference explores how adaptation to shifting environmental, political, and economic landscapes can drive systems change. From farmers to fashion designers, stakeholders across the supply system are reimagining production models to protect ecosystems while supporting livelihoods. WFEN’s certified enterprises and partners in Chile and Argentina embody this vision, demonstrating how place-based, community-led solutions can help the textile industry evolve toward a climate- and nature-positive future.
Friendly Wool – Patagonia, Chile
At the heart of this transformation is Friendly Wool, a stand-alone WFEN-certified brand producing Corriedale wool through regenerative and Wildlife Friendly grazing practices in Patagonia, Chile. Friendly Wool works directly with ranchers to restore native grasslands, protect vulnerable wildlife, and produce high-quality, traceable fiber that supports both nature and local livelihoods. Learn more about Friendly Wool here.
Regenerative Fibers of Patagonia – Argentina
Across the border in Argentine Patagonia, WFEN is working with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and local ranchers through the Regenerative Fund for Nature (RFFN) to transform 360,000 hectares of land into Regenerative and Wildlife Friendly™ grazing systems. This project integrates wildlife conservation with soil restoration and sustainable fiber production, creating a model for nature-positive textile sourcing. Discover the initiative here.
100% Certified Regenerative and Wildlife Friendly™ Patagonian merino wool, expertly crafted in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Photo credit: Alejandra Gottelli, Cubreme
Two emerging Argentine designer brands are among the first to source wool and guanaco fiber from these Certified Wildlife Friendly™ ranches, setting a new standard for regenerative luxury fashion:
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Cubreme, led by designer Alejandra Gottelli, crafts timeless pieces with deep respect for the natural materials they use, ensuring every garment honors the ecosystems from which it originates. Read more about Cubreme’s vision here.
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MAYDI, founded by Maria Zolezzi, blends traditional Argentine craftsmanship with regenerative sourcing, creating exquisite handwoven textiles that celebrate biodiversity and strengthen local communities. Explore MAYDI’s story here.
A Voice from the Ground at TE 2025
For the first time, a representative of the Mapuche Indigenous communities of Argentine Patagonia will participate in the Textile Exchange Conference, offering attendees a rare opportunity to hear directly from those stewarding the landscapes where regenerative and Wildlife Friendly™ practices are being implemented. Diego Matías Lienan, a Certified Wildlife Friendly® rancher, embodies the vital role that indigenous knowledge and community leadership play in shaping resilient, nature-positive textile systems.
Fall-Winter Collection 2025 – handcrafted pieces made entirely from 100% certified Regenerative and Wildlife Friendly merino wool.
Photo credits: Maydi 2025
“These enterprises demonstrate that adaptation to climate and ecological challenges can be a powerful catalyst for creativity and transformation,” said Christine Lippai, Executive Director of Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN). “From Chilean Corriedale wool to guanaco fiber in Argentina, they embody the spirit of theTextile Exchange Conference, showing how place-based knowledge and regenerative practices can inform and inspire global textile strategies.”
Expanding Regenerative Impact to India
Building on these successes, WFEN is now collaborating with partners in Central India to transition cotton production from conventional methods to Regenerative and Wildlife Friendly™ systems. Supported by the Regenerative Fund for Nature, this pioneering initiative empowers farmers to adopt practices that restore soil health, reduce chemical inputs, and protect key species such as leopards and pollinators. This expansion into cotton strengthens WFEN’s mission to transform global textile supply chains, illustrating how regenerative solutions can be scaled across both geographies and fiber types. As the industry faces shifting environmental realities and growing expectations for transparency and accountability, WFEN invites Conference participants and the wider fashion community to draw inspiration from the living examples emerging in Patagonia and India, where Regenerative and Wildlife Friendly® approaches are delivering tangible climate, biodiversity, and social gains.
For more on these groundbreaking initiatives, visit:
About Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network (WFEN)
The Wildlife Friendly Enterprise Network works globally to protect wildlife in wild places by certifying and supporting enterprises that ensure people and nature coexist. Through its Certified Wildlife Friendly® and Regenerative and Wildlife Friendly™ programs, WFEN empowers producers, brands, and consumers to drive positive change across textile, agriculture, and conservation landscapes.
About Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. WCS runs the world’s largest conservation field program, protecting more than 50 percent of Earth’s known biodiversity; in partnership with governments, Indigenous People, Local Communities, and the private sector. Active in Argentina since the 1960s, it works to preserve the diversity of wildlife that makes this country unique and to restore its landscapes in the face of growing threats. For more information visit: https://argentina.wcs.org/
About the Regenerative Fund for Nature
In 2021, global luxury group Kering and Conservation International launched the Regenerative Fund for Nature. The purpose of the Fund is to help farmers transition to regenerative agricultural practices that work with nature, not against it, fostering social and environmental resiliency within these production systems. Inditex joined in 2023, to consolidate and scale efforts that drive positive outcomes for people, nature, and climate.