THE CASHMERE EDIT

OUR CASHMERE

At Vic and Bert, we use only the finest cashmere fibre, carefully selected and expertly spun to create a supremely soft, warm and luxurious yarn.

The mill which we purchase our cashmere from has always placed great importance and emphasis on being ethical and socially responsible, with a true commitment to environmental protection, animal welfare and sustainability. We believe in total transparency from the provenance of raw fibre to the complete production process and offering full traceability back to the farms for all our natural fibres.

Part of their commitment to sustainably sourced cashmere has led to being awarded the recently implemented Good Cashmere Standard. This certification stands for sustainably sourced cashmere from farms where goats are treated responsibly, the environment is protected, and the social, ecological, and economic living conditions of cashmere farmers and their families are respected. Being awarded the GCS certification means they have a continual dialogue with experts along the textile supply chain and serves as a benchmark to reassure customers that our cashmere is sustainably and responsibly produced.

SUSTAINABILITY

Animal Welfare

Animal welfare is our number one priority, and our cashmere source have a clear code of practice for goat protection. This is enforced through creating standards that we insist herders follow from breeding, shearing, feeding, transportation and general health and welfare of the goat.

This responsibility is taken seriously, and action is conducted immediately if code of practice is not followed.

No animal should be subjected to hunger, thirst, discomfort, plain, injury or disease. Animal must also have the freedom to express normal behaviour and lives a life free from fear and distress.

Environment Protection

Sheep and goat farming in Inner Mongolia has increased substantially in recent decades. This has led to widespread degradation of the grasslands that make up 67% of Inner Mongolia’s land area.

This degradation has not only affected cashmere farms but has also had a significant ecological and environmental impact, such as an increase of desertification and a decrease in biodiversity.

Our source of cashmere has continually insisted on optimizing and preserving the grassland ecological environment in the four key farming regions of Inner Mongolia, monitoring strict control of herd sizes to prevent over grazing and promote grazing rotation.

Overgrazing can too lead to irrevocable and irreversible damage to the environment. By encouraging sustainable farming practices and promoting the uptake of sustainably produced cashmere we aim to help farmers in Inner Mongolia secure animal welfare and protect the region in which they live and work.