Botto Giuseppe collaborates with US company Maiyet for FAIR cashmere

By

Gianluca Bolelli

Published
Dec 8, 2015

Wool manufacturer Botto Giuseppe from Valle Mosso, Biella, Italy, has become the prime reference for the FAIR cashmere project set up by US fashion label Maiyet. The raw material comes from Mongolia, the world's third largest producer of this fibre, and it is environmentally and ethically sustainable.

Maiyet is a US luxury fashion label specialising in rare artisanal products from all over the world. Based in New York and led by Kristy Cailor, Maiyet buys cashmere directly at source, with no intermediaries. Supporting local goat farmers from the Gobi desert in Mongolia, and improving their quality of life through tangible contributions, are among Maiyet’s objectives. It's the company itself that takes care of goat vaccination and disinfection, in partnership with the Gobi Revival Fund.

Moreover, the Biella district in Italy, whose water sources are low in sodium and minerals, offers the perfect environment for the creation of yarns that are both supple and soft.

FAIR cashmere is 'Cradle to Cradle'-certified at 'Bronze' level, and is awaiting its 'Gold' certification (the only cashmere yarn that has currently been awarded this certification). 'Cradle to Cradle' is a rigorous certification system for products that are innovative across their entire supply chain. It employs 5 criteria to evaluate a product's sustainable development level: waste, health, energy consumption, water resources (in terms of usage and pollution) and human resources use.

Botto Giuseppe was created in 1876 and is a manufacturer of fine fabrics and yarns. Over the years, Botto Giuseppe has added jersey and knitwear yarns to its range, and is now a vertically integrated producer, from yarns to finished products, in its two manufacturing centres in Valle Mosso and Tarcento (the latter dedicated to spinning). Both centres utilise hydroelectric power generated by the Tarcento dam and energy produced by vast arrays of solar panels.

The Biella company is now an international player, with 60% of its nearly €60 million revenue in 2014 coming from foreign markets, primarily Germany, the USA, China, Japan, France and South Korea. Botto Giuseppe takes part in the leading industry trade shows: Milano Unica, Pitti Filati, Intertextile Shanghai and Spinexpo.