Ka$hmere?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot in recent months. The bruhaha over the alleged lack of cashmere in Debbie Bliss products, another suit against Noro, and the fact that the skyrocketing demand for cashmere fibers & clothing is having a HUGE, GIGANTIC impact on northern China and Mongolia’s environment brings me to a conclusion that I’m reluctant to state aloud. B?ut I think I kind of have to.
I think I can’t ethically buy cashmere anymore.
There may be one caveat to this, though, and that’s if it’s grown here in the states and/or sourced from areas that are perhaps more ethically responsible about how it’s obtained. And given that restriction, the price is likely to be out of my price range much of the time anyway. As I think about the fiber blends I’d like to do, cashmere is of course in the “zomg gimme” category, but I am not sure I can, in good conscience, be a part of a growing problem by participating in the supply/demand cycle for this particular fiber.
Never say never, and all that, and I do have some cashmere in my stash. I lost my head not too long ago in a late online doot through eBay, and found some cone ends that weren’t too expensive and I could overdye. But that may be the last purchase I’ll make for some time.
What do you think about cashmere, the current supply levels and production methods, and continued support of the industry?
I stopped buying cashmere a couple of years ago after I read about the envirnmental impact we were creating. All becasue westerners wanted affordable cashmere. Go ahead, give it up, it won’t hurt a bit.
Comment by Terri — Thursday, 9 October, 2008 @ 6:44 am
I don’t buy cashmere, especially now that it’s commercially available (in clothing) for next to nothing. I suspect the only cashmere I would consider buying would be extremely expensive, and then I wouldn’t be able to afford it.
Comment by jessie — Monday, 13 October, 2008 @ 10:07 am
First, thanks for your lovely comment on my blog. I’m grateful for any healing thoughts in the direction of my little nephew and his mom right now.
As for cashmere, there are some great cashmere producers in the US, particularly in Colorado and Maine. If you are a spinner or a knitter, you can buy cashmere produced in a sustainable way in the US. Regarding cashmere I buy…I buy so little as to not make it a big issue. I do own some commercially produced cashmere sweaters..maybe 4 or 5 total, bought over 5-10 years. I’ve bought them from TJ Maxx, at major discounts, often at the end of a season. While I don’t believe in fueling the demand for something that is environmentally unsustainable, once the fiber’s been harvested, the thing doesn’t sell at the outrageous prices and the profit hasn’t really been made…I don’t think the out of fashion stuff should end up thrown away. Certainly buying cashmere at a secondhand shop would also be an ethical option. Just my thoughts. I hear you though on this. I’d say that non-organic cotton is probably a bigger concern though environmentally.
Comment by Joanne — Tuesday, 14 October, 2008 @ 8:03 am