Kashmir: The Business with the cheap wool - and how to recognize fairly produced sweaters

What used to be the epitome of luxury is already available for less than 50 euros: Kashmir sweater are sold as cheaply at the discounter Lidl as with Zalando.If the final sale is added, the noble sweaters made of goat hair hardly cost more than cotton textiles.

Kashmir is booming: The demand for the goat wool, which warms but not scratches, has been increasing for years.But the number of goats cannot simply be increased, because they only live in a few, very cold areas.In Mongolia, in China, Afghanistan - and in the Kashmir region, which belongs to India.The herds were enlarged worldwide - between 1993 and 2009 alone, the number of animals doubled to over 44 million.But only around 200 grams of wool can be obtained from a goat.For comparison: a normal wool sheep produces around three kilos of wool a year.And so the cashmere price is lavish: around 200 euros per kilo of raw wool are due.According to "Marketwacht", the global market for cashmere clothing will grow to a total of $ 35 billion by 2025.

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How cheap cashmere clothing is made

The fact that cheap fashion chains or discounter can still offer the sweater for such bargain prices has several causes.On the one hand, the clothes are often woven thinner, so that less wool is processed.Others do not produce pure cashmody textiles, but only mix a woolen content.The quality of the cashmere can also make the products cheaper.

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However, it can also be saved at the animal welfare in which the goats are kept in huge farms.The animal welfare organization Peta published a video of such factory farming, where the goats with tips or even with bare hands the fur was torn out.

The Hamburg Foundation "Aid by Trade", which was founded in 2005 by Michael Otto, wants to campaign against this cruelty.The quality seal "The Good Cashmere Standard" is awarded when a manufacturer uses certified and sustainably produced raw wool.Appropriate animal husbandry, environmental protection and fair working conditions for workers and farmers must be guaranteed.Until customers pullis and co.can buy with this sewn -in seal, it will continue until the end of 2020.

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Certified cashmere wool

But even if you want to buy a cashmere sweater now, you can pay attention to seals.So there is the KBT seal that guarantees controlled biological animal husbandry.The label is protected and gives the buyer information on what the manufacturing conditions are.

Animal rights activists don't go far enough.With the new seal and the existing certificates, they criticize that cashmere cannot arise without cruelty to animals.These seals are only there to facilitate the conscience of consumers, reports "RTL":

Dennoch: Einige Modefirmen, wie H&M, Hugo Boss, Lacoste sowie Jack&Jones wollen das neue Label nutzen. Asos und H&M kündigten darüber hinaus an, auf konventionell hergestelltes Kaschmir künftig zu verzichten.

Fashion consumer swindling: That's why Kashmir is so cheap now

Whether already existing label or the new certification: Customers should not only pay attention to the price at Kashmir - otherwise they will quickly become annoyed, reports the consumer magazine market from the "NDR", which has tested cheap cashmere sweaters.Some ran up to two clothing sizes, the seam on the sleeves was winding and some bargains quickly had small nodules, the so -called pilling, formed.The conclusion of the "NDR" tester: "Apparently, good quality still has its price.With a purchase value of at least 50 euros pure cashmere on the world market, a high -quality and durable product is hardly to be expected for 40 euros according to expert opinion."According to the textile expert Dr.PHAN have to expect customers at least 150 to 200 euros if they want to buy a cashmere sweater.