Benedetta has been recognised by UNESCO as a UNESCO facilitator for the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage. She has trained and worked with various Italian and foreign communities that are bearers of cultural, social, and ecological value, including transhumance, falconry, Lipizzaner horses, the art of truffle harvesting, and so on. Drawing on the pastoral knowledge, biodiversity principles, and sustainable practices embedded in this intangible heritage, she founded a farm that operates based on the “One Health” approach, an integrated model that recognises the fundamental interconnection between the health of humans, animals, and ecosystems, including textile ecosystems, promoting transdisciplinary collaboration to address global health challenges such as zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance, food security, and climate change, sustainably optimising collective wellbeing.
Textile Ecosystems and Intangible Cultural Heritage: The Role of IPRs
Abstract
While the textile supply chain remains one of the most polluting industries, it also offers significant opportunities to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through the revival of localised production models. Dynamic textile ecosystems continue to exist worldwide, each distinguished by specific aesthetic characteristics and traditional expertise rooted in circular economy principles and sensitivity to regional material sources. As consumers become increasingly critical of globalised production networks and adopt more sustainable consumption practices, these textile ecosystems offer potential to restore the territorial basis of local textile value chains that global sourcing and offshore manufacturing have fragmented. They can simultaneously enhance the utilisation of indigenous natural resources and develop a compelling market identity that supports higher price points for locally-produced goods. Consequently, these ecosystems serve as hubs for expertise, innovation, regional development, and the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. In this context, Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), specifically Geographical Indications (GIs) and collective or certification trademarks (TM) serve as excellent tools for encouraging environmentally responsible practices and strengthening such ecosystems. The rise of “Green IPRs” represents a significant development in linking intellectual property protection to environmental sustainability and biodiversity conservation. These IPRs offer prospects for innovative forms of rural development, community autonomy, cultural tradition preservation, and biological diversity conservation, especially when production encourages sustainable stewardship rather than depletion of natural resources.