Closing The Loop On Cashmere

“We should embrace changes across our entire value chain.”

What’s the true cost of a cashmere sweater?

Vast amounts of water and land are required to create our clothes. In China, where roughly 60% of the world’s cashmere is grown, unsustainable goat herding coupled with a warming climate has turned once-fertile plains into deserts.

On a stretch of ancient grasslands, one company is doing things differently. For more than three decades, Erdos Group have been creating quality cashmere in Inner Mongolia. Today they are reimagining its future with innovations across the entire value chain.

Good cashmere starts with healthy soils. Working with the natural rhythms of the earth, Erdos strive to give more to the land than they take. There is a harmonious balance that must exist – between the goats, their herders, and the very grasslands on which they roam. Each year Erdos work with experts in the field to provide free training to local goat herders on sustainable farming practices and animal welfare.

Regenerative goat herding is one part of a broader approach to minimising cashmere’s impact on the planet. One of the most resource-intensive stages of the production process is the dyeing of cashmere fibres, and Erdos have pioneered a dyeing technology that can reduce water consumption by over 50%. On-site green energy production, extended garment care, and cashmere recycling schemes are further reshaping their supply chain.

Although they’re pioneers in the fashion industry’s circular revolution, Erdos are not standing alone. They are part of a growing, global shift towards closed-loop systems that’s driving positive change.

In this movement, innovation and heritage can – and should – coexist.

Erdos Group work closely with the Sustainable Markets Initiative's China Council.