Rising demand for cheap cashmere combined with the impacts of climate change has had a devastating impact on goat-herding regions in Mongolia, with overgrazing contributing to desertification. Between our concern over the animal welfare standards of this supply chain and the limited ability to create our own supply chain, as we did with wool, we have opted not to use this fiber.
Why We Choose Not To Use Virgin Cashmere
- Between 1999 and 2019, the number of cashmere goats in Mongolia increased almost fourfold from seven million to 27 million. 1
- The rearing of these goats has led to extreme overgrazing and desertification, severely threatening local communities and natural environments.
- The goat’s sharp hooves break through topsoil and their eating habits - ripping up plants from their roots - make it impossible for grasslands to survive. 2
- It takes the combined hair of four goats to make a single cashmere sweater (3).
