tretford
sustainability
The tretford Story
Cashmere goat hair – a unique feature
Two key priorities for tretford – environmental protection & pollution reduction
For over 60 years, the entire process from the selection of their most important raw ingredient – Cashmere goat hair – through to the development of their carpets, tretford’s focus has been to sustainably source natural goat hair and other renewable resources.
Over those many years, tretford have worked with the same goat farmers and their families in Mongolia, ensuring continuity of supply in an environment that encourages partnership, mutual growth and trust.
tretford has worked cooperatively supporting the sustainable practices with the goat herders and cooperatives.
All of the Cashmere goat hair used in tretford carpets is dyed without bleaching, which gives our carpets their stunning, naturally rich colour.
tretford carpets have positively contributed to healthy living and working environments around the world for over 60 years.
Indoor Air Quality
Roll, INTERLIFE Tile and Rugs
Cashmere goat’s exquisite top hair absorbs moisture from the air and releases it back as needed.
These naturally hygroscopic properties means tretford carpet actively reduces airborne dust and allergens – a uniquely positive influence on indoor air quality.
Due to the scaly structure of goat hair it also bonds fine dust particles, and is good news for allergy sufferers since the indoor “dust load” is many times lower. The natural layer of fat on the goat fibre acts as a dirt repellent, with excellent stain resistant properties.
Tretford’s Unique Feature
Cashmere Goat Hair
The robust and hard-wearing top hair is used to create Tretford carpets. It is hand scoured or clipped to ensure the Cashmere goat retains enough hair to survive winter on the high Mongolian plateaus.
As opposed to the clearing of land to graze sheep, Mongolian goats are indigenous to the landscape.
For the Mongolian farmers , it is another means of subsistence – beyond selling the soft belly Cashmere hair for clothing – this robust top hair had become a by-product of this clothing industry, and an important and reliable source of income for these village farming communities.
No animals are slaughtered for their hair.
Tretford’s Unique Feature
Cashmere Goat Hair
The robust and hard-wearing top hair is used to create Tretford carpets. It is hand scoured or clipped to ensure the Cashmere goat retains enough hair to survive winter on the high Mongolian plateaus.
As opposed to the clearing of land to graze sheep, Mongolian goats are indigenous to the landscape.
For the Mongolian farmers , it is another means of subsistence – beyond selling the soft belly Cashmere hair for clothing – this robust top hair had become a by-product of this clothing industry, and an important and reliable source of income for these village farming communities.
No animals are slaughtered for their hair.
Tretford’s Commitment
Ecological and social responsibility has been at the core of Tretford’s ongoing philosophy for over 50 years, building a working relationship with the Mongolian goat farming community to produce a sustainable carpet made from natural and recycled materials.
Conservative use of natural resources and corporate responsibility has been the hallmark of Tretford’s manufacturer for more than 50 years and its the only carpet they make!
Tretford – the Healthy Alternative
Transparency & Disclosure
The demand for transparency is now more critical with the increasing awareness of potential negative health impacts of unknown chemicals used in products. Tretford is committed to a path of disclosure.
Tretford carpets use Phthalate-free PVC used as a binder in Tretford ROLL & TILE is certified to best practice in PVC Industry – BPPVC Certification.
Tretford carpets do NOT contain these chemicals of concern :
Stain-resist coatings-PFAS | Antimicrobials | Fire-retardants | Fly ash | Isocyanates | Endocrine disrupting chemicals
Tretford ROLL & TILE are currently certified through Global GreenTag to Level A – 100% on the Green Building Council of Australia calculator.
Tretford – the Healthy Alternative
Environmental Certification
The demand for transparency is now more critical with the increasing awareness of potential negative health impacts of unknown chemicals used in products. Tretford is committed to a path of disclosure.
Tretford carpets do NOT contain these chemicals of concern :
- Stain-resist coatings-PFAS | Antimicrobials | Fire-retardants | Fly ash | Isocyanates | Endocrine disrupting chemicals
Tretford carpets use :
- Phthalate-free PVC used as a binder in Tretford ROLL & TILE is certified to best practice in PVC Industry – BPPVC Certification.
Tretford ROLL & TILE are currently certified through Global GreenTag to Level A which is 100% on GBCA calculator.
Tretford’s Story
What is Tretford carpet?
The principal component in Tretford carpet is the long top hair of the Cashmere goat. The hair is a by-product of goat farming for the cashmere industry as this hair would normally be discarded – it takes roughly one goat to produce enough hair for roughly 1 square metre of tretford Cord Carpet.
Over the years, well over 100 million square metres of tretford carpet have been laid – and more importantly – contributing to tens of thousands of Farming Communities & Cooperatives thriving in Mongolia.
The use of this top hair represents pre-consumer recycled content – an important contribution to sustainable manufacturing.
While Tretford Roll & INTERLIFE Tile largely consists of this Cashmere goat hair – in fact the composition of Tretford also relies on renewable and recycled raw materials, eg. jute in the Roll format, and 80% recycled polyester felt in Tretford INTERLIFE tile backing.
Cashmere Goat Hair
How is it produced?
Most people associate cashmere wool with top quality clothing or blankets, which is very fine, but a cashmere goat also has robust top hair – and this is used to create tretford carpet.
These Cashmere goats live on Asia‘s high plateau where they are exposed to extreme temperatures. In the winter, temperatures reach minus 40°C – in the summer, they climb to 30°C. In the fall, the goats produce the fine wool that grows close to their hides in order to protect themselves from extremely cold temperatures.
In the springtime, they shed this winter coat, and the robust, hard-wearing top hair is only then clipped gently by hand. This ensures that the Cashmere goat is not injured and also retains enough hair to survive on the high plateaus.
The hair is hand-picked, sorted and washed in mild soap. No chemicals are used. Groundwater and rainwater supplies are used and the waste water irrigates local farmland.
No animals are slaughtered for their hair.
By purchasing the long top hair of Cashmere goats, tretford gives the Mongolian farmers another means of subsistence – in addition to the coveted and exclusive soft belly hair, which is sourced by others for clothing – thereby ensuring a reliable source of income for these village farming communities.
Only healthy goats grow hair of a standard that pass tretford’s quality requirements. The hair of a dead or unhealthy goat is simply not suitable for high-grade tretford carpets.
The emphasis on the health and wellbeing for the goats of these Mongolian farming partners is paramount.
Today tretford supports the wellbeing of over 1000 communities and farmers in Mongolia, buying the cashmere goat hair directly from farming cooperatives.
tretford uses the hair from over 1million goats to create tretford carpet that is sold around the world today.
Green Building Council of Australia
(GBCA)
Gibbon Group, of which Gibbon Architectural is a Division, have been members of the GBCA for over 15 years and reflects our commitment to sustainability in the built environment and beyond.
As members of GBCA we recognise and support the vision to create healthy, resilient and positive places.
