Sustainable and Responsible Cashmere Supply Chain
Table of contents
- Where do we source from
- What challenges have we faced
- What is our solution
Where Do We Source From
Our cashmere comes from the Alashan region in Inner Mongolia. Goats living there can withstand harsh winds and cold days because they produce such high quality coat.
We take our commitment to fair trade seriously. We work with suppliers who have been on the front lines of establishing sustainable cashmere production for years. They invest part of their profits into herding communities to improve living conditions and sponsor animal husbandry training. Additionally, they invite experts from the Inner Mongolia University to study goats and local grasslands, and research methods of reducing environmental impact.
We also consider the environmental impact of carbon dioxide emissions during production and transportation. This is why we opted for the cashmere processing factory located locally, in Hohhot.
What Challenges Have We Faced
Goat farming is the first link in the cashmere industry chain. It has many challenges, standing in the way of sustainable supply chain.
- Changes in local herd sizes directly impact the price of cashmere raw material.
- Goat farming is a widely dispersed small business run by herdsmen and their families.
- Trading raw cashmere is often decentralised, the buyer will negotiate with each family individually.
- The number of raw cashmere buyers changes from year to year, most areas don’t have stable selling channels.
- Prices are prone to unexpected fluctuations and the economic interests of herdsmen are easily damaged.
What Is Our Solution
The herdsman we chose and their families all abide to the Animal Welfare Code of Practice issued by SFA. It means:
- freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition,
- freedom from discomfort,
- freedom from pain, injury and disease,
- freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour, and
- freedom from fear and distress.
In order to establish a more fair and sustainable cashmere supply chain, we address existing challenges on many levels.
- We buy only the best cashmere from families taking good care of their goats.
- We buy raw cashmere at a higher price than the market average to protect herdsmen source of income and cashmere quality.
- Our buyers fund herdsmen in advance, to make it easier for them to maintain a stable size of their herds and guarantee the production needs are met.
- A good community relationship has been formed between the herdsmen families we collaborate with. They regularly share their experiences, take part in skills training, and support each other.
