Sustainable Mongolian Cashmere
A respectful treatment of people and nature is rooted in Mongolian traditional culture. This root philosophy will undoubtedly help us to reach full sustainability in the Mongolian cashmere industry.
Cashmere is a renewable material, that is harvested every year during springtime. Goats produce this incredibly fine fiber to protect themselves from extreme cold, the colder the climate the finer, thinner, and longer the fiber is, which makes a huge difference to the end product. We believe that the cashmere goat is just about the only animal you can take something from without hurting it at all. The traditional, humane, and ethical method of combing off the cashmere is still practiced to this day.
The demand for this natural, organic, biodegradable, functional, soft fiber has increased significantly in recent years. This has caused overpopulation of goat herds that consequently led to the overgrazing crisis that is threatening the sustainability of the local ecosystems and further the sustainability of the livelihood of nomads and their livestock farming. This is an ancestral practice that is still very much alive in the local culture. If this trend continues, the nomads will have trouble generating enough income from livestock farming to make a living, because in most cases cashmere is just about their only source of income. So, it is a full circle.
Achieving full sustainability is far from simple in this time of social and environmental impacts of the modern cashmere production industry.
Nonetheless, we firmly believe that it is our duty to contribute to the solution to this problem by exercising the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility.
Hence, we implement the following initiatives and adopt the following principles:
- RESPONSIBLE DESIGN
Responsible fashion starts with responsible design. We are not a fast-fashion company.
All of our products are designed in Mongolia with a goal to empower both people who wear our garments – and people who make them.
We design clothes that are comfortable, that can be worn every day and for a long time. A timeless design made of good quality materials is something you can wear forever. Good quality fabrics repel dirt, eliminating the need for frequent washing. You can be part of the solution and wear long-lasting clothes. So, rewear, wash, and repeat. Small things, like following our clothing care instructions make a big environmental impact. Together we can beat fast fashion.
- GREEN COMPANY, CLEAN MANUFACTURING
No toxic chemicals used during our process of manufacturing. We aim at carbon footprint reduction in every step of our production.
Our manufacturing process strives to produce 0% waste, recycling every bit of yarn.
Even our scrap turns into gifts and we have few zero-waste products. Even if there is waste, the material itself is biodegradable.
- ETHICALLY RESOURCED MATERIAL
Picking sustainable materials means looking at fabrics at the fiber level. We strive to use ethically sourced natural materials. Please watch a video about how the raw material is sourced, a video about the very origin of your cashmere clothes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ywH5_lpRIs&t=81s
- WHO MAKES YOUR CLOTHES?
We are a family company headquartered in Mongolia. We have our own factory in Mongolia.
It is a woman-led company. It has also prioritized recruiting females who are heads of their families. Their employment is maintained, with only 10% of current workers being newly recruited.
The factory is free of child labor, and the workers are in a safe working environment, paid a living wage, offered employee benefits, and treated with respect at all times.
Human rights and proper wages are guaranteed by law in Mongolia.
- CARING FOR ENVIRONMENT AND FOR THE HERDERS
Environmental responsibility is ingrained in our everyday work. Our company has established a partnership with livestock farmers/herders who produce our raw material. This establishment helps to eliminate the middlemen/merchant and helps farmers/herders get a better price for their cashmere leaving the benefit for them. In return, they are obligated to limit the negative impact of their herds on the environment through working on animal genetics and health (to optimize production per goat in terms of quantity and quality, and limit herd growth), planning for joint pasture use, protecting or regenerating land and watering holes, etc.
In addition to this, we offer products made from camel and yak wool, since we are convinced that doing so will help to find the natural equilibrium, and prevent the increasing size of goat herds that is to the detriment of the other animals.
- SUPPORTING GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL PROJECT AND INITIATIVE
We support and are part of projects and initiatives working towards Sustainable Cashmere.
One of the prominent and impactful projects is the “Sustainable Cashmere-fiber supply chain in Mongolia Project” implemented by STeP EcoLab, Switchasia, AVSF, and funded by the European Union. Their main goal is to obtain an “ECO” label for Mongolian cashmere. You may visit their web page for more information: https://www.avsf.org/search/result/Mongolia.
We invite You
to be a partner in our efforts towards achieving a sustainable cashmere industry.
