François Henri Pinault, the owner of a  Kering the french fashion group, has made a big investment, in Thailand, in a farm, specialising in breeding stock. Not your usual cows or pork, no. They are breeding pythons for luxury items, such as trainers- which cost only 1000€- or shoes, bags, belts. They say that the pythons in the farm have a good life until they follow all of us and die; their skins are being utilised to make magnificent products, but “in a sustainable way”.

            The python trade is most of the time illegal and big: 1 billion dollars a year. Specialists devote their life to smuggle python skins. On the contrary, about 500.000 skins are being imported legally from Asia into Europe. It is a considered an endangered species, therefore initiatives like that of Kering are welcome. Kering owns companies with big brands, Gucci, St Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga and many more.

Mr Pinault wants to increase his ethical business  in mined gold and special leathers. He is investing and paying more for those parts of his products which are produced in an honest way. 

            Good for him.