June 20, 2024, 9:27 am | Read time: 4 minutes
It is cozy and provides excellent warmth on cold days: a cashmere wool sweater. However, due to the high demand, animal welfare standards are often not adhered to in the keeping of cashmere goats and the removal of their precious wool. PETBOOK has investigated and explains how much animal suffering can occur in the production of cashmere wool.
Alongside merino, alpaca, mohair, angora and vicuña wool, the fine undercoat of the cashmere goat is valued and processed as one of the finest fibers in the world. However, at around 200 grams per year, the animals produce relatively little of the fine material. For one kilo of cashmere wool, the producers receive around 200 euros. The end consumer has to pay up to 500 euros for a sweater or jacket made of pure cashmere.
In order to maximize profits, the herds in Mongolia and China are getting bigger and bigger. As a result, manufacturers are cutting back on the standard of the conditions in which the animals are kept. As is so often the case, it is the animals that end up suffering as a result. Many buyers are aware of this and pay attention to how the goats are kept and the origin of the wool. Quality seals and certificates promise to check this and guarantee animal welfare. But can the consumer trust this information? Who really knows exactly what goes on in remote farms in Mongolia or China?
The cashmere goat
The medium-sized goat originally comes from the high mountains of Central Asia. Their floppy ears, outward turning-horns on bucks, and small, sickle-shaped horns on female goats are particularly striking.
Their coat color can be gray, brown, black or pied. White fur is preferred for wool production, as it can be dyed any color. The top coat is long and coarse, but underneath is the fine undercoat, which is the only part used for wool production. Thanks to this wool, the goat is well protected in extreme weather conditions.
In the past, the goat was considered the “cow of the little man”. The relatively undemanding and robust animal is often kept in pristine, barren regions for its milk and meat, but its skin, horns and fur are also used1
Why cashmere goat wool is so popular
Its wool warms six times better than sheep’s wool. When the fibers come into contact with moisture, they quickly absorb it and wick it away. Cashmere is both dirt and water-repellent and hardly absorbs any odors. The soft feeling on the skin is due to the fineness of the fibers. The diameter of the fibers does not exceed 19 microns. (1000 microns = one millimeter)2
How cashmere goat wool is obtained
There are around 190 million goats on farms worldwide. Most of these animals are combed or sheared in spring with some breeders repeating this procedure several times a year.
Combing the wool out with a long-toothed metal comb is time-consuming and can be painful to the goat if the wool is matted; this can lead to injuries, as can the shearing process. The workers are required to work quickly, but if the animal is not properly restrained and wriggles, the clippers or shears can inflict severe and deep wounds on the goat.
The animal welfare organization PETA complains about this and criticizes the fact that the animals are not given painkillers in this case. In addition, discarded goats that are no longer profitable are slaughtered without anesthesia. Many fashion labels, such as Tom Tailor, Bonita, Ulla Popken and Cecil therefore do not produce products such as sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves or blankets made from cashmere3
How reliable are animal welfare labels?
According to the animal welfare organization PETA, several fashion companies developed “The Good Cashmere Standard” certificate. This occurred following a video that was exposed by PETA Asia in 2019. They are also relying increasingly on existing certifications from the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA).
These certifications promise consumers that the wool is produced sustainably and that no animals have to suffer under the production conditions. However, PETA Asia conducted further research in 2022 and confirmed that cashmere goats are still being mistreated in the cashmere industry, as there are still hardly any checks on the farms4
The factory in the following video, for example, is SFA-certified, but the conditions there are still terrible. Some fashion labels, such as Chanel, therefore rely on production in Europe, e.g. in Scotland, where production can be better monitored.
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How the cashmere goat came to Europe
At the beginning of the 19th century, the first cashmere goat farm was to be set up in France. It is said that only 430 of the approximately 1300 animals survived the long and arduous journey. Cashmere goats also found their way to Australia, New Zealand and Iran5