Cashmere Consumer Fraud Protection

Does your “cashmere” sweater have cashmere in it? You may be surprised to learn that an increasing percentage of garments sold as “cashmere” contain far less of the precious fiber than is asserted on the label. Unscrupulous companies sell sheep’s wool and synthetic blends labeled as pure cashmere to increase their profits at the expense of unknowing retailers and consumers. Even reputable manufacturers and brand labels may unknowingly be selling garments that are not pure cashmere or quality blends. This is because cashmere is so high in value as a raw material that in countries where cashmere is grown and collected, there is a big incentive for cashmere traders to mix other cheaper fibers with it to make more profit.
The Mongolian Fiber Mark Society makes sure that only those products that contain Mongolian cashmere of the highest quality bear our fiber mark. Mongolian cashmere purchased from the source is a pure product with unique qualities of durability and softness. Mongolian industry has very short supply chains with few intermediaries, and Mongolian cashmere producers have retained a reputation for delivering only pure cashmere to consumers and manufacturers. For this very reason, our competition often labels their cashmere products as “Made in Mongolia”. Many of these products are actually made in Inner Mongolia, a province of China, and the cashmere they contain may or may not come from Mongolia, or may have been re-blended with inferior fibers after legal export from Mongolia. For your next purchase of cashmere, insist on excellence. The best way to protect yourself from consumer fraud is by selecting products labeled with the quality mark.

Types of Consumer Fraud

Mislabeling – A great number of cashmere garments are mislabeled. Spot testing of garments sampled at random from retailers have sometimes revealed garments labeled as 100% cashmere to contain mixtures of sheep wool, synthetic fibers, and even dog hair. Mislabeling is the most common type of consumer fraud, and may also be misleading as to the origin of the garment or the fiber it contains. Many garments are labeled ‘Mongolian Cashmere’ which contain little or no Mongolian fiber and were not made in Mongolia.

Recycled Fiber – Some manufacturers recycle cashmere fibers that have been previously woven or felted into another product which was either unsold or recovered as wastage. Reprocessed cashmere may be spun, woven, knitted, or felted into a new product, and may have already been used in another garment or home furnishing. Recycled fiber is weakened by re-processing and is often damaged in the process of turning the finished article back into fibers before reprocessing. While the label may truly state that the garment contains 100% cashmere, it will be of inferior quality and is worth much less in value than articles made of new fiber.