Mohair South Africa is proud to be working with Textile Exchange in developing an international mohair standard. Whilst the industry has been governed by its own Sustainable Guidelines since 2009, the importance of an international standard made this evolution inevitable. It is our aim to provide the global market with the promise of responsible farming and production.

Objectives of the Responsible Mohair Standard

Over the past decade, Mohair South Africa has focused on promoting a sustainable luxury fibre, efforts which have intensified over the past few months. We are working closely with Textile Exchange (a global non-profit that drives industry transformation in preferred fibres, integrity and standards, and responsible supply networks) to incorporate the existing Sustainable Production Guidelines into the internationally-recognised Responsible Wool Standard protocol. Textile Exchange identifies and shares best practices regarding farming, materials, processing, traceability and product end-of-life in order to reduce the textile industry’s impact on the world’s water, soil and air, and the human population.

The goals of the Responsible Mohair Standard is to provide the industry with a tool to recognise mohair farmers using best practices, ensuring that mohair is produced at farms with a progressive approach to managing their land and a commitment to treating their goats ethically and responsibly.

The RMS development process

Textile Exchange follows the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice for standard-setting bodies to ensure that they have a robust and transparent process for our standards.

Their highest priorities are to include all parties that may be affected by the standard, and to create a tool that balances strict requirements with realistic and auditable criteria. The development of the standard will be done through an International Working Group, representing the full spectrum of interested parties, including animal welfare groups, brands, farmers, supply chain members and industry associations, as well as brands and retailers.

Draft Mohair Responsible Standard released for stakeholder consultation

The draft Responsible Mohair Standard is currently being piloted on farms. Findings from pilot audits of the draft Responsible Mohair Standard will be used to inform the development of the draft standard. A public stakeholder consultation on both the Responsible Wool Standard and the draft Responsible Mohair Standard is now open for 30 days. To provide feedback, or to learn more about the development process and how to get involved, please visit www.responsiblewool.org

Exploring the mohair supply chain

As part of the process of developing a standard, Mohair South Africa invited Textile Exchange and brand representatives from Filippa K and member brands Acne and John Lewis on a field trip to learn about the mohair supply chain. The trip explored each stage of the mohair value chain, with a particular focus on visiting farms and meeting with farmers to better understand how animal welfare and land health is managed and how the draft Responsible Mohair Standard could be applied.

We are excited to work with all of you to develop an international Responsible Mohair Standard that will provide the industry with a way of ensuring that the mohair being used is produced in a sustainable and ethical manner.

Kind regards,
The Mohair SA team