Almost every luxury cashmere brand now uses traceable, ethical or sustainable. Very few can name the herder whose goats supplied the fibre. Here is what those terms should mean.
The three real issues
1. Overgrazing
Cashmere goats hooves damage grassland when concentrated in large numbers. The 2000s expansion turned large tracts of steppe into semi-desert.
2. Herder livelihoods
Nomadic communities in Ladakh, Changthang, Inner Mongolia and the Gobi are economically vulnerable. When brands squeeze prices, herders increase herd sizes — worsening overgrazing.
3. Animal welfare
Cashmere is combed, not sheared, from under-down in spring. Done well, non-invasive. Done badly, real suffering.
What good sourcing looks like
- Named herder cooperatives, not commodity fibre
- Combing only, in spring
- Certified grassland management
- Fair-price contracts
- Third-party audit — SFA, GCS or CRDN
Certifications
SFA (Sustainable Fibre Alliance)
Most widely adopted cashmere-specific standard. Audits herder practices, grassland health, animal welfare, traceability.
GCS (The Good Cashmere Standard)
Focuses on farms in Inner Mongolia — 65% of global cashmere. Strong on animal welfare.
CRDN
US-based, primarily grade authentication.
Traceable without certification
Often means nothing enforceable. Look for named cooperatives, sourcing maps, and at least one certification.
The trade-off no one talks about
Ethical sourcing costs 20–40% more at raw-fibre stage. When luxury brands market Grade AAA at prices that undercut ethical Grade A from small brands, someone is absorbing the difference — usually the herder.
Ethical cashmere is not cheap. A £180 Grade AA shawl that is genuinely traceable is a fair price. A £45 100% cashmere shawl from a fast-fashion brand cannot be either.
How CloudSpun sources
Combed under-down of Changthangi goats in Ladakh (Grade AAA) and certified farms in Inner Mongolia. Single Ludhiana processing partnership publishing cooperative-level traceability.
What to ask
- Can you name the region the fibre comes from?
- Which of SFA, GCS or CRDN certifies your supply chain?
- Combed or sheared?
- What % of retail price reaches the herder?
- Where and by whom is the fabric woven?
Related: How cashmere is made · Cashmere grades explained
