Cashmere is prized for its exceptional softness, but the welfare conditions of cashmere goats — particularly in major producing countries — raise significant concerns that are rarely visible to consumers of luxury goods.
Cashmere goats in conventional production systems face welfare challenges that are largely invisible to consumers purchasing luxury knitwear. In extensive range systems, seasonal nutritional stress, extreme temperature exposure, and limited access to veterinary care represent chronic welfare burdens. In intensive operations, the pressure to maximise fibre output can lead to high stocking densities, inadequate enrichment, and rough handling. The ecological context matters too — desertification driven by overgrazing reduces the quality of remaining habitat for the goats themselves and for native wildlife, creating a spiral of worsening welfare conditions. The luxury positioning of cashmere products is at odds with the farm welfare conditions that characterise much of the supply chain.