Weaving Pashmina as an alternative to Shahtoosh whose production was banned in Jammu & Kashmir since 2002.

Tibetan antelopes, threatened by Shahtoosh production and trade

In the early 1990s, Dr George Schaller an eminent conservation biologist exposed the critical link between the decline in the numbers of the endangered Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) to Shahtoosh, a fabric produced exclusively by artisans based in Srinagar in the northern Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. The antelope, endemic to the Tibetan plateau, was indiscriminately killed to extract its under fleece - the raw shahtoosh wool, that was smuggled into Srinagar to be processed into products that sold in the international market for thousands of dollars.

Following this discovery, the International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI) started an international campaign against Shahtoosh and lobbied for a formal ban on its production in the state of Jammu & Kashmir. Eventually in May 2002, the state government outlawed Shahtoosh production, bringing its laws at par with Indian and International laws that prohibited trade in shahtoosh products.

Celebrities from the Indian fashion industry endorse the campaign against shahtoosh

The ban however came at a price. Overnight, about 15000 shahtoosh workers who depended on shahtoosh production for their livelihood, were turned into criminals. About 70 per cent of this workforce comprised women, many of them conflict widows in a state affected by civil and political unrest. They either faced unemployment or had to illegally continue their respective roles in the tiered production process of making Shahtoosh fabric.

The ban additionally threatened to drive to extinction a traditional skill honed over generations by the shahtoosh weaving community of Srinagar, to work with ultrafine (9 microns) shahtoosh wool and produce merchandise that was not only their livelihood but also their pride.

A worker embroiders a Pashmina shawl

The ban in shahtoosh production, strongly lobbied for by the IFAW-WTI, displaced about 15,000 shahtoosh workers. Unless these workers, who depended on shahtoosh for livelihood, were given suitable alternatives, the ban would not work.

Supported by the British High Commission, the Shahtoosh Workers Rehabilitation Project aimed at providing alternative livelihood to these skilled former shahtoosh workers to prevent illegal shahtoosh production and trade.

Mountain goats reared for pashmina production in Hanley, Ladakh

An extensive research by IFAW-WTI including comprehensive census of shahtoosh workers in the early 2000s, had revealed that pashmina weaving was the most viable alternative to shahtoosh. Pashmina, also known as Cashmere, is combed from a farmed mountain goat; unlike Shahtoosh, Pashmina wool extraction does not involve killing the source animal.

Pashmina weaving was not new to Shahtoosh weavers and many, anticipating the ban, had voluntarily shifted to it. However, weaving pashmina was far less rewarding monetarily as compared to shahtoosh. Another major hurdle was the unfair competition presented by the widespread market invasion of the cheap machine-made Pashmina fabric masquerading as the handcrafted one.

'Pashma - the warmth of Kashmir' guarantee for the products

The project adopted a multi-pronged approach to overcome these difficulties. It envisioned a high-quality hand-made pashmina, using traditional techniques, as an alternative to shahtoosh for the producers as well as for their customers. The product was branded and trade-marked as ‘Pashma, the warmth of Kashmir’, and was positioned as the only Craftmark certified guaranteed pure Pashmina product in the market that was completely handcrafted and made by reviving centuries old forgotten techniques. It went with the catchline: “Don’t just buy Pashmina, buy a piece of history.”

The project also set up a body of former Shahtoosh, and Pashmina workers, named Kashmir Handmade Pashmina Promotion Trust (KHPPT) to promote Pashmina products produced by member artisans according to Pashma specifications. Formation of this Trust ensured that the profits of the sale in Pashma products reached the artisans who produced it.

To effectively compete with other pashmina products, IFAW-WTI had recommended the concept of Geographical Indication (GI) of Origin label for high-quality hand-made pure Kashmir pashmina, as early as 2001. The GI was finally awarded in 2008.

In the mid 2000s, the project was affected due to lack of resources, halting it temporarily at a critical stage. Funding for the project was scarce as it did not directly fall within the mandate of wildlife conservation, nor human welfare.  Yet the team continued their efforts. In 2005, BHC extended its support and helped revive the project. Subsequently, the project was also supported by the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.   

The Shahtoosh Workers Rehabilitation Project now continues to support KHPPT by promoting its products, helping develop business associations as well as assisting in the general organisation and functioning of the Trust.

Customers learn about Pashma - the warmth of Kashmir, in the KHPPT stall set up in Dilli Haat, New Delhi.

• A film titled ‘A shawl to die for’, documenting the activities of the project, has been selected for screening at the CMS – Vatavaran festival 2009.
• A stall of KHPPT products including shawls, stoles and scarves, was set up at the Dilli Haat, New Delhi, in November 2008, during the annual handicraft festival organised by Dastkar.
• KHPPT members are now part of Kashmir Handmade Pashmina Promotion Division which is a sub – division within Tahafuz (state govt. promoted artisans body)that will administer G.I.

Mushtaq Ahmed Mir, Trustee, KHPPT, works on his loom to weave Pashmina

• By convincing, and then, helping former shahtoosh workers shift to pashmina production, the Project helped re-establish livelihoods of a number of families affected by the ban on shahtoosh production.

• The brand ‘Pashma – the warmth of Kashmir’ – an outcome of the project, has a wide-ranging appeal, being a green product that also helped the livelihoods of Kashmiri women and helped revive an ancient craft.

• It is the only product in the market that is guaranteed to be pure and fully handcrafted.

• By rehabilitating some of the former shahtoosh workers, the project helped reduce their need for illegal shahtoosh production for survival. This way, the project succeeded in reducing the demand for raw shahtoosh wool, and thus helped conserve the Tibetan antelope.

• Kashmir hand-made pashmina was awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) of Origin label in 2008. The concept of GI for Kashmir pashmina was recommended by IFAW-WTI as early as 2001. (Read More)

• A Kashmir Handmade Pashmina Company was established, involving core group members of the KHPPT. The workers of this company, former daily wage earners, have become small time manufacturers by investing seed money and producing Pashmina products according to KHPPT specifications.