04.02.2025 – 13:39

Aid by Trade Foundation

The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS) launched its third model farm in Inner Mongolia, China.

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Hamburg/New York, 2025-02-04. Supported by the North American textile company J.Crew and other partners in the textile chain, The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS) launched its third model farm in Inner Mongolia, China. As a source of inspiration and connections for cashmere producers and herders, the farm will enable experts and working professionals to exchange ideas about solutions in sustainable cashmere production and to stay on the cutting edge of the industry. Overall, there are now three GCS model farms that serve as key platforms for conveying practical knowledge and demonstrating successful approaches to animal welfare in order to meet the growing demand for responsibly produced cashmere.

With 200 hectares and 600 cashmere goats, Eridenibatu is the third farm that GCS has developed into a model farm with the help of partners. Its doors have been open for training sessions since mid-2024. “With the addition of Eridenibatu, we are pleased to now support two model farms operating in accordance with The Good Cashmere Standard®,” says Katherine O’Hare, Vice President Sustainability at J.Crew Group. She explains, “Model farms play a crucial role in advancing responsible cashmere production under The Good Cashmere Standard® in Inner Mongolia as they establish best practices in responsible cashmere production. This initiative also aligns with our goal of sourcing 100 percent of the key fibers used in our materials from sustainable sources.”

In 2022, GCS began developing model farms to support herders in their transition to sustainable cashmere production. “The Good Cashmere Standard’s model farms are a source of inspiration, promoting a team spirit among GCS herders and partners by exemplifying the best practices under the Good Cashmere Standard®,” explains Figo Li, a GCS representative in China, adding, “We are very pleased to be working with our partners to ensure that our third model farm will show herders feasible solutions for the well-being of animals, people, and nature and will make it easier for interested herders to make a start in sustainable cashmere production.”

Model farms are characterised by a particularly innovative and pioneering spirit. In order to propagate their success, model farms receive technical and material support to conduct training courses for their peers and neighbouring farms. The Good Cashmere Standard® and its partners provide further organisational and financial support for their activities, for instance by covering training costs. Up to four times per year, the model farms open their doors to interested goat herders.

The Good Cashmere Standard® was established by the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) in 2019 with the aims of protecting the welfare of cashmere goats, conserving biodiversity and the environment, ensuring decent working conditions on cashmere farms, and promoting transparency in the supply chain. Today, GCS is the world’s leading standard for sustainably produced cashmere fibres.

Yours sincerely,

Holger Diedrich, Christina Ben Bella

Press Contact

Christina Ben Bella, e-mail: c hristina.benbella@abt-foundation.org
Holger Diedrich, e-mail:  holger.diedrich@abt-foundation.org

 Aid by Trade Foundation | Gurlittstraße 14 | 20099 Hamburg | Germany

About The Good Cashmere Standard:

Since 2019, The Good Cashmere Standard® has become a global leader in sustainable cashmere production from Inner Mongolia. Within the global supply chain, The Good Cashmere Standard® co-operates with more than 200 partners in 12 textile production markets worldwide. Over 55 international brands, including H&M, Galeries Lafayette, J.Crew, and The White Company, rely on GCS-verified cashmere to meet their sustainability and due diligence requirements. With its criteria, the GCS covers the most important areas of cashmere production. It was developed with the input from experts in animal welfare and the industry in order to improve the welfare of cashmere goats and the working conditions of herders, as well as to protect the environment. Find out more at  www.thegoodcashmerestandard.org

About the Aid by Trade Foundation:

Founded in 2005, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is an internationally renowned non-profit organisation that works throughout the world to promote sustainable raw materials. Its activities make a decisive and measurable contribution to improving the living conditions of people and animals while protecting the environment. AbTF takes a practical approach by creating and maintaining a variety of standards to verify raw materials: Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA), Cotton made in Africa Organic® (CmiA Organic), Regenerative Cotton Standard® (RCS), and The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS). A global alliance of textile companies and brands purchases the verified raw materials, paying a licensing fee to AbTF’s marketing company, ATAKORA Fördergesellschaft GmbH. The payment of this fee entitles partners to sell their goods under the standards’ labels. As the challenges facing textile companies and small-scale farmers grow, the standards have a major role to play in ensuring their resilience and future viability. AbTF collaborates closely with industry experts and with specialists in animal and nature protection. Learn more at: www.aidbytrade.org