#Sustainability

2024-12-05

The Good Cashmere Conference 2025: Two-day event in Hamburg

The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) invites you to the annual conference of The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS), which will be held on 25 and 26 March 2025 in the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. At this event, the independent sustainability standard will bring together international experts, fashion brands, companies, and scientists to discuss the latest developments in sustainable cashmere production.

Cashmere Goats in Inner Mongolia © 2024 Aid by Trade Foundation

The focus will be on animal welfare, due diligence in the supply chain, biodiversity, and the use of virtual reality. The latter offers the opportunity to experience a GCS model farm in Inner Mongolia.

Established in 2019 by the Aid by Trade Foundation, The Good Cashmere Standard® has always been committed to sustainable cashmere production and transparent traceability for casmere fibres in the textile supply chain. As one of the world’s leading standards for sustainable cashmere, its focus is on the welfare of over four million cashmere goats and on working conditions at more than 9,000 farms. Over 50 international brands, including H&M, Galeries Lafayette, J.Crew, or The White Company, rely on GCS-verified cashmere.

Aimed at representatives of textile companies, fashion brands, cashmere producers, standards organisations, and non-governmental organisations as well as members of the textile supply chain and other stakeholders, the two-day conference will offer valuable insight into current developments and trends in the cashmere industry. It will also present an opportunity to establish new contacts and gain deeper knowledge about sustainable cashmere production.

The conference will be opened by Prof. Dr Michael Otto, the founder of the Aid by Trade Foundation, on Tuesday, 25 March, and Wednesday, 26 March 2025, in Hamburg’s historic Speicherstadt warehouse district.

More information about the conference and the event programme is available on the conference website. Direct ticket bookings can also be made there.

https://gcsconference.aidbytrade.org/

The Good Cashmere Standard expands Animal Welfare Assessment on audited farms

With the Animal-related Animal Welfare Assessment (ARAWA), the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) conducts a pioneering project for the second consecutive year in 2025, parallel to the independent verifications of The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS). ARAWA assessments provide a comprehensive overview of the health status of a herd on an audited farm, going beyond standard verification procedures. They are inherently complex, which still makes them a rarity in the standard sector, but offer support in identifying non-conformities and provide a holistic overview of the herd's well-being. Therefore, the Aid by Trade Foundation will continue this crucial project and even further expand it by 2027.

Aid by Trade Foundation reaches new milestones in supply chain transparency

The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is reaching new milestones as it leads the way towards greater physical traceability for Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) cotton. With around 700 suppliers and producers in a total of 25 countries, the Aid by Trade Foundation has reached a new record number of partners who can trace CmiA cotton from the product back to its origin. This is more than double the previous year’s figure.

Cashmere producers stress the importance of The Good Cashmere Standard®

At the invitation of the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), over 70 experts from the cashmere production and supply chain, as well as other specialists, met at the GCS Unit Meeting in Shanghai, China to discuss the progress and new objectives of The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS). The meeting focused on implementation and verification of the standard, important aspects of animal welfare and the importance of the standard in the global textile market.

Updated supply chain taxonomy advances apparel alignment

The apparel alliance (Apparel Impact Institute, Cascale, Textile Exchange, and ZDHC Foundation) today announced the launch of Version 2 of the Supply Chain Taxonomy, an updated harmonized framework designed to improve consistency, transparency, and collaboration across the textile, clothing, leather, and footwear (TCLF) sectors of the broader apparel industry.

SHIMA SEIKI brings new flat knitting technologies to FEBRATEX 2026

Leading flat knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Brazilian representative BRASTEMA TECNOLOGIA TEXTIL LTDA., will exhibit at the Brazilian Textile Industry Fair (FEBRATEX 2026) this month. On display will be a roundup of SHIMA SEIKI computerized flat knitting technology, represented by WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines, computerized flat knitting machines featuring a brand-new model with high productivity and excellent cost performance, a glove knitting machine and the latest digital solutions.

Lenzing reports improved half-year results and advances strategic transformation

Despite a persistently challenging market environment in the first half of 2026, characterized by volatile energy and raw material prices, subdued global consumer demand and intensified competition from Asia, the Lenzing Group significantly improved its financial performance. Net result after tax more than doubled to EUR 35.6 million, compared with EUR 15.2 million in the first half of 2025. Free cash flow increased to EUR 45.8 million, while EBITDA amounted to EUR 239.2 million. Revenue totaled EUR 1.27 billion, compared with EUR 1.34 billion in the previous year.

Trützschler’s latest spinning and card clothing innovations at CAITME 2026

From September 8 to 10, 2026, Trützschler will present its latest innovations in spinning and card clothing for state-of-the-art fiber processing at CAITME in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Visitors are invited to meet the experts at Pavilion 2, Booth D50 and explore solutions designed to increase productivity, streamline processes, and ensure consistently high yarn quality. Key topics include the next-generation card TC 30i, the integrated draw frame IDF 3, the high-performance comber TCO 21XL as well as Trützschler Card Clothing’s new flat top series STEELTOP®.