In drafting The Good Cashmere Standard, the Aid by Trade Foundation has defined a new benchmark for the production of sustainable cashmere. Following a comprehensive revision, the standard is now based on the Five Domains of Animal Welfare model, which was developed by Mellor and Reid. The Good Cashmere Standard follows three main principles: promote animal welfare in cashmere production, support cashmere herders and protect the environment.
The Good Cashmere Standard has been revised to Version 2.0, its latest, and places greater emphasis on animal welfare in cashmere production. The implementation of The Good Cashmere Standard 2.0 and its criteria will be mandatory as of 2025 and will be monitored through independent verifications at regular intervals.
The Good Cashmere Standard® 2.0 is built on four pillars that encompass the key aspects of sustainable cashmere production: cashmere goat welfare, the environment, people, and management. With these pillars and the accompanying criteria, GCS is effectively and comprehensively moving cashmere production towards greater sustainability, both at the farms with and without employees and in the first stage of processing cashmere fibres, which takes place at buying and dehairing stations.
The Standard defines core criteria that must be met from the start in order to be a part of the GCS herder group or to be verified as a cashmere producer as well as major and basic criteria.
Independent auditors conduct regular checks to assess the fulfilment of criteria and document the progress made, using a sample-based approach.
To ensure the reliability of The Good Cashmere Standard® and the correct implementation of its criteria and indicators, independent audits verify regularly whether cashmere herders and producers (buying stations/dehairing stations) comply with the criteria set out in the standard. The verification is awarded to producers who themselves, as well as their herder group, work in accordance with The Good Cashmere Standard®. They receive a certificate which is valid for 12 months and are allowed to sell their products under The Good Cashmere Standard® seal.
In addition to the external audits by independent third parties, all herders must outline their performance in a self-assessment questionnaire to assess how they have complied with the standard’s criteria. The answers in the self-reports are the basis for the external verification visits on the farms. In the event of implausible or contradicting answers, the independent audit company will follow up and clarify the matter. Should a farm, buying station or dehairing station fail to fulfil the core standard indicators (Prohibition of cruelty to animals, child labour, forced labour and pesticides), it will be excluded from participating in The Good Cashmere Standard® and cannot sell their cashmere with the GCS label anymore. They are removed from the dedicated supply chain. If other indicator types are violated, either the non-conformity must be eliminated (major) or a clearly defined improvement plan must be processed (basic). Only when this process has been successfully completed, will the cashmere producer receive The Good Cashmere Standard® certificate, which is valid for one year.
The Goat Welfare Pillar is the heart of the The Good Cashmere standard and is based on the Five Domains of Animal Welfare model, which emphasises the importance of positive subjective experiences for animals. Understanding the well-being of goats involves considering five fundamental domains: nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, and mental state.
The Good Cashmere Standard® can go a long way to making a significant improvement to the welfare of cashmere goats. For more detailed information regarding the standard, please click this link.
The criteria contained in The Good Cashmere Standard extend beyond the comprehensive criteria that relate to goat welfare. The standard also includes criteria regarding the planning of animal welfare maintenance and the recording of the resulting outcomes.
Protecting the environment that the cashmere goats, the herders, and their communities call home and keeping the grazing areas ecologically intact is one of the main goals of The Good Cashmere Standard®. Therefore, GCS promotes the protection of natural vegetation, responsible land use and the peaceful coexistence of people, cashmere goats and wildlife. A key principle is that goat farming must not have any negative effects on biodiversity or the environment. This applies in particular to soils and biodiversity.
The standard therefore also contains guidelines for the responsible use of fertilizers and pesticides, such as when and how they may be used. The Standard additionally stipulates that herders co-exist with wildlife and restrain from negatively impacting biodiversity on and around the areas that they manage. That includes their farms and grasslands as well as arable lands.
For more detailed information regarding the Standard and beyond, please take a look at the documents down below.
“The Good Cashmere Standard has been created in close cooperation and dialogue with experts along the textile supply chain. It serves as a benchmark for sustainably produced cashmere and aims to minimize the impact on animals and nature.”
Anna Heaton – independent consultant for the Aid by Trade Foundation and international expert in standards for animal welfare
Cashmere goats are farmed in a number of countries and regions throughout the world. The initial focus of The Good Cashmere Standard® is on the cashmere farms of Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of northern China. Inner Mongolia has a population of around 25 million inhabitants and a total area of 1.18 million square kilometres.
