Victoria’s Secret will not use cashmere any more in its products. The brand joins dozens of other companies that have banned cashmere. China and Mongolia are responsible for 90 per cent of the world’s cashmere but the goats in cashmere farms are subject to unethical treatment. Terrified goats are pinned to the ground while workers rip out their hair with sharp metal combs so violently that the animals scream in pain and sustain bloody cuts. The negative environmental impact of cashmere production is greater than that of any other animal-derived material.

The industry is a significant contributor to soil degradation, which turns grasslands into deserts, including in Mongolia, where 90 per cent of the land is in danger of desertification. Alternatives to animal-derived materials exist in the form of vegan fabrics including soy cashmere, recycled polyester, organic and sustainably farmed hemp, bamboo as well as modal, Tencel and viscose made from sustainably harvested wood.

Victoria’s Secret owns the brands Victoria’s Secret and Pink. After nearly a year and a half as an independent, publicly-traded company, the company continues to make significant progress in its transformation and mission to celebrate and champion all women. It has created a solid financial platform with a new, more agile operating structure.