Value creation
Value is added unevenly across the chain. Fibre quality, processing capability, craftsmanship, technology, branding and market positioning all influence where economic and symbolic value accumulates.
From fibre to garment
How cashmere moves through the supply chain
Cashmere is transformed through a sequence of biological, processing, textile and commercial activities. The pathway is geographically dispersed and can vary by fibre quality, processing capability, ownership and market.
Geographic origins
Where cashmere fibre is produced
Cashmere production is concentrated across the cold, dry regions of Central and East Asia, with smaller volumes produced in other countries.
Countries are shown without special outlines or circles; colour alone indicates production scale. The volumes below combine the most recent country-specific figures available with older published estimates where current national data are not reported, so they should be read as indicative rather than as a single-year global dataset.
Indicative production volumes
| Country | Volume | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| China | 17,589 t | 2023; Textile Exchange |
| Mongolia | 10,092 t | 2022; Textile Exchange |
| Iran | <2,000 t | 2018; Textile Exchange estimate |
| Afghanistan | <2,000 t | 2018; Textile Exchange estimate |
| Pakistan | 60 t | Indicative figure |
| Kazakhstan | Small; not quantified | Textile Exchange / SFA |
| India | 70 t | Historical published estimate |
| Kyrgyzstan | Small; not quantified | SFA |
| Turkey | Small; not quantified | SFA |
| Nepal | Small; not quantified | Textile Exchange |
| Uzbekistan | Small; not quantified | Published sources |
| New Zealand | <5 t | Published estimate |
The production figures are indicative and are not directly comparable across countries because the reporting years and methodologies differ.
Supply-chain stages
One fibre · many transformations
An interactive material pathway from biological origin to market. Select a node, or let the fibre move through the chain automatically.
The cashmere transformation pathway
Activity
Setting
Typical duration
Material change
Transformation
Traceability matters because material transformations can occur across multiple jurisdictions and organisations. Linking origin, processing and product information can strengthen transparency and support more responsible supply-chain decisions.
Analytical note. The supply chain is not a single linear pathway. Production systems, processing locations, ownership structures and routes to market vary by country and product. The framework above provides a simplified analytical representation for examining transformation, traceability and sustainability.