A goat that provides cashmere fibers grazes on foliage. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images

The uncomfortable hidden costs behind the rise in cheap cashmere

The coveted material known for its luxurious softness has become much more accessible and affordable in recent years. But at what cost?

Who are they? Well, the fellers providing the goods are cashmere goats, many of whom live in parts of Central Asia, like northern China and Mongolia.

• Cashmere goats graze, hang out and live life, and their underhair is sheared and harvested, sold and processed, and then spun into the fibers that make cashmere sweaters.

• These sweaters are then bought by everyday consumers who want to partake in sporting the notoriously soft fabric.

What’s the big deal? Like many other trends in fashion and accessibility, acquiring cashmere used to require more of an investment. Nowadays, you can get it much cheaper. But there are hidden costs elsewhere, says Ginger Allington, a landscape ecologist and assistant professor at Cornell.

• Allington’s research has shown that in recent years, the sheer number of goats used for cashmere sweaters has increased significantly, in part because of increased demand.
• As a result, there has been degradation to the habitats that they live and graze in, which yields lower quality fibers from the goats that fetch less money at market.
• To compensate, Allington says some herders have increased their herd sizes to produce more to make up for the lower cost, and the vicious cycle repeats.
• The result is environmental degradation and poorer-quality clothes, but all most consumers see is a lower price tag.