Danish fashion group Bestseller has committed $3 million to regenerative agriculture projects in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, targeting improved rangeland productivity, soil health, and rural livelihoods.

The funding will be deployed through the Regenerative Fund for Nature, launched in 2021 by Conservation International and Kering, with Inditex joining in 2023.

Focus on livestock systems

The Eastern Cape programme centres on sheep production systems, working with pastoral communities to restore degraded grasslands and improve grazing management. Interventions include:

• Rotational and regenerative grazing practices
• Soil restoration and erosion control
• Improved animal health and welfare

The region is a key biodiversity zone and an important water catchment, making land restoration critical for both agricultural output and ecosystem stability.

Scaling measurable impact

Project partners report measurable gains from ongoing work, including improved vegetation cover and increased resilience to drought conditions. The new funding is expected to scale adoption across additional communities.

Supply chain strategy

For Bestseller, the investment is part of its Fashion FWD sustainability roadmap, which links ecosystem health to long-term raw material security in the textile sector.

The company highlighted the need for “landscape-level” interventions, noting that biodiversity and soil degradation pose increasing risks to fibre supply chains globally.

Growing private sector role

The move reflects a broader shift among global apparel firms toward upstream investment in regenerative agriculture, particularly in wool and other natural fibre systems, as companies seek to decarbonise supply chains and meet sustainability targets.