CALIDA loves FTC®: a commitment to people and animals

When Jana Knezovic, Head of Product at FTC® Cashmere, and Janine Bühler, Director of Brand & Product at CALIDA, met for a casual conversation one Saturday morning in Zurich, neither of them could have believed how quickly a morning coffee could turn into collaboration on a new collection. But after a couple of cappuccinos, it soon became clear that CALIDA and FTC® had a lot in common: both brands are all about maximum sustainability, top quality and a complete sense of wellbeing – and not just for your skin. These shared values resulted in a desire to do even more good together – and a collaboration that achieves just that:

With the motto ‘Always choose kindness’, the two companies worked closely together to create nine pieces for men and for women using incredibly soft SeaCell™ cashmere – a unique and innovative material blend of the finest cashmere, enriched with vital ingredients that are kind to the skin, made exclusively for this collection from Icelandic seaweed. All the pieces can be colour-coordinated with each other and are a perfect addition to any autumn wardrobe for relaxing and cosy feel-good moments. The entire collection is ‘Marked & Traced by Haelixa®’ – guaranteeing a seamlessly transparent and sustainable supply chain. And the best thing is, the collaboration will support key social projects in the local area that directly benefit people and animals.

FTC® has already been making a contribution to the region of Shaanxi in China as a whole, making the wellbeing of employees, their families and the animals themselves a top priority in the production of this valuable raw material. The brand actively initiates and promotes projects, such as local schools and ethical treatment of goats over the long term. The result is a close and deep connection with the entire local area that is just as tangible as the incredible quality of the cashmere it produces. Practising the value of sustainability means more than just keeping your carbon footprint to a minimum. You can see this in the happy faces of employees – and, according to the farmers, the goats themselves, who have been an important part of everyday life here for centuries.

The collaboration became a joint passion project, inspired and driven by the values of friendship and mutual appreciation, which not only make a tangible difference in Shaanxi, but have shaped company culture at CALIDA from day one.

With funding for the sustainable expansion of the FTC® cashmere goat farm, we are providing support for FTC®’s unique commitment on the ground. New goat sheds have been built with the welfare of animals and nature in mind, using rammed earth rather than traditional bricks. The use of this natural and locally available raw material cuts emissions dramatically – and promotes traditional rammed earth construction. Rammed earth saves energy while naturally offsetting even extreme fluctuations in temperature – a useful and valuable benefit in a mountain region like Shaanxi. Local workers are involved in the project from the outset to ensure that social, local and sustainable aspects can be taken into account in the construction phase.

Huge progress has already been made since ground was broken on the project in July 2021, and construction is set for completion by the end of the year. The ‘CALIDA Goat House’, built in a ‘C’ shape in honour of the brand name, will span an area of around 100 square metres and give 50 cashmere goats a new, comfortable and ethical home. Will we get another smile from these lovely creatures to say thank you? The farmers say so, with a laugh. We’ll let you know...

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