H&M Bans Cashmere After Exposé Reveals Beaten Baby Goats

Fashion retailer H&M will be phasing out “conventional cashmere” from its clothing collections following an expose of the industry’s cruel practices by animal-rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PETA Asia shared footage from cashmere farms in China and Mongolia—the two countries responsible for 90 percent of the world’s cashmere production—which showed workers hitting goats over the head with a hammer and slitting their throats after tearing out their hair with sharp metal combs. The fast fashion group, which includes eight global apparel brands, aims to use only sustainably sourced materials across its production by 2030. “As part of our 2030 goal to only use sustainably sourced materials, we are now beginning to gradually phase out conventional cashmere,” the company said on its website. “H&M will stop placing orders on conventional cashmere at the end of next year. While cashmere is popular for its soft texture and is known as a high-quality material, it comes with both environmental and animal welfare challenges.” Last year, H&M Group also pledged to ban mohair by 2020 after a similar exposé revealed animal cruelty at mohair farms in South Africa. In a move to replace animal materials with sustainable vegan alternatives, H&M debuted a Conscious Exclusive collection last month that includes apparel and accessories made from innovative plant-based materials such as pineapple leather.