The Cruel Cashmere Industry
Cashmere is made from the soft undercoat of goats who are abused and violently killed. The majority – 90% – of all cashmere comes from China or Mongolia and the rest from countries that include India, Iran, and Tibet. One goat produces, on average, only 250 grams of hair that can be used for cashmere each year. This is so little that in order to produce just one cashmere jacket, the hair of six goats is required.
Terrified Goats Held Down and Trodden On
A PETA Asia investigation into the cashmere industry in China and Mongolia revealed extreme cruelty to cashmere goats. The animals screamed in pain and fear as workers held them down and stepped on them, bending their legs into unnatural positions and tearing out their hair with sharp metal combs.
Goats left with bloody cuts from the hair-removal process received no pain relief or veterinary care. One worker poured rice wine into an animal’s wound.
Herders Cut Open Kid Goats’ Scrotums
A second PETA Asia investigation into cashmere operations in Mongolia included one herding operation with ties to clothing companies such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Prada, and Gucci. Investigators discovered that one herder used an unsterilised knife to cut open kids’ scrotums and pull out their testicles with his bare hands – all without pain relief.
Suffering in Extreme Temperatures
Workers typically comb or shear goats for cashmere once a year in the spring moulting season of April and May. According to one farmer, shearing is “very stressful” for the animals, and it robs them of their natural insulation, leaving them vulnerable to cold temperatures and illness.
Goats Are Violently Killed When No Longer Profitable
Cashmere goats no longer deemed profitable are subjected to a slow, agonising death. At an abattoir in China, eyewitnesses saw workers hit animals over the head with a hammer in an attempt to stun them. At an abattoir in Mongolia, workers were seen dragging goats by the leg onto the filthy kill floor before slitting the animals’ throats in full view of others. They were left to bleed out, and some were seen still moving a full two minutes later. Their flesh was then sold as cheap meat.
Environmental Devastation
Cashmere also has the most destructive environmental impact of any animal-derived fibre. Because cashmere goats must consume 10% of their bodyweight in food each day and they eat grass down to the root, preventing regrowth, the industry is a significant contributor to soil degradation – which results in desertification.
Already, 70% of Mongolia’s grasslands are degraded and 90% of the country is in danger of desertification, which has resulted in some of the world’s worst dust storms on record and air pollution that can reach North America.
Vegan Cashmere
Thankfully, a growing number of designers and retailers are offering super-soft, warm vegan knitwear, which is kind to animals and the environment. Check out our recommendations for cosy vegan knits.
What You Can Do
• The best thing that you can do for goats is to refuse to buy cashmere. It’s easy to check the label when you’re shopping. If it includes the word “cashmere”, leave the item on the shelf and instead opt for animal-free alternatives like the ones on the “PETA-Approved Vegan” list.
• Sheep, goats used for mohair or cashmere, rabbits used for angora, antelopes, alpacas, and other animals are also exploited for the fashion and soft-furnishings industries, so please steer clear of any fibre stolen off an animal’s back.
• Share this page with your friends – help make sure as many people as possible know about the cruelty behind cashmere jumpers.
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• Please urge brands like Burberry, Louis Vuitton, and Dior to drop cashmere immediately in favour of animal-friendly materials.
The abuse of animals for their hair – or any other reason – is fuelled by speciesism, the misguided belief that some sentient beings are inferior to others. Help end speciesism by pledging to recognise that animals are not ours to use and all living, feeling beings deserve to be treated with respect and compassion: