SILK MARK – A QUALITY ASSURANCE LABEL

The scientific work for invention of cheap imitation of Natural silk may be in progress, but in the market place there are numerous other textile materials sold in the name of silk i.e. Art silk, Artificial silk and other glamorous names. Please watch out, Silk Mark is here to help you to identify Silk - the Pure Silk! The Consumer of Silk has long been having a difficulty of identifying the pure silk from the host of other fibers, just like the Consumer of Gold in finding the purity of Gold. The Consumers and the genuine traders of silk had been demanding a measure from Central Silk Board in bringing in a fair practice in the Trade. Silk Mark was launched on 17th June 2004 as a response to the demand. Silk Mark is being promoted by Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI), a registered society under Karnataka Society Act 1960. SMOI is an initiative of Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles and Government of India.

 

SILK MARK

Certifying agency Silk Mark Organisation of India Effective since 2004 Product category Silk textile Legal status Advisory Website silkmarkindia.com Silk Mark is a certification mark in India for silk textiles. The mark certifies that the piece of textile which bears the mark is made of pure natural silk. The certification is managed by the 'Silk Mark Organisation of India', a society setup by the state controlled Central Silk Board of India.[1] Even though promoted by the government of India, the mark is only advisory in nature and is not legally endorsed. The certification scheme was founded by the Central Silk Board in 2004.In the original format, the mark included a silk mark logo woven on a hang-on tag on which a unique numbered hologram would be affixed. But the hang-on tag tended to be faked (reused) hence, a new method with the mark woven onto the textile itself has been proposed. The certification scheme assures the consumer a facility for free testing of the marked product in Silk Mark Chapters (accredited labs) in case of doubt.

SILK MARK, A SYMBOL OF SILK PURITY

Silk Mark Organization of India (SMOI), a registered society, sponsored by the Central Silk Board, Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, had launched, SILK Mark, a label certifying that the product is made up of quality silk material. This will protect the interests of the consumers and will play a multi-dimensional role in the overall promotion of Indian silk both in the domestic and export markets. Silk manufacturers, Wholesalers, Retailers and exporters of repute, who fulfill certain minimum standards in their raw materials, supply chains and sourcing of finished or semi-finished products can become an Authorised User (AU) of Silk Mark. They would be allowed to use the Silk Mark Logo in the products containing 100% natural silk. Silk Mark would be a symbol of silk purity. It would be a hallmark for products made from pure and new silk. It will be prominently displayed and affixed to products.

Wool Mark

It is a certification mark that specifies that a product contains pure, new wool and is recognized throughout the world as a symbol of quality and reliability. This quality standard for woolen products is prescribed by the International Wool Secretariat.

"king of fine wools"

Shahtoosh (also written Shahtush, a Persian word meaning "king of fine wools") is the name given to a specific kind of shawl, which is woven with the down hair of the Tibetan Antelope (Chiru), by the weavers of Kashmir.The Chiru antelope live in one of the harshest environments on earth, at an altitude of over 5,000 metres. Their special type of down fur, which is both very light and warm, allows them to survive in the freezing conditions of the plateau where they gather at one point of the year. They are migratory animals - moving down from Mongolia to Tibet- and traditionally followed closely by the nomads who also make that journey every year. The nomads would hunt the antelope for all that it provided them - hide, meat, bones, horns and fur pelts - in short, everything that the nomads needed to sustain them through their journey.t is a long-perpetuated false claim, that nomads gathered Chiru down from rocks and bushes, after it was naturally shed.

SHAHTOOSH IS BANNED

HistoryWhen the British (of British India) traveled to Kashmir in Summer, they realised the worth of Pashmina and shahtoosh shawls and introduced them to the world, which led to greater demand for these products. Subsequently, the antelope was hunted down specifically for its fur, and their numbers have dropped accordingly from nearly a million (estimated) at the turn of the 20th century to less than 75,000 today. The numbers continue to drop yearly. This led to the antelope now being listed as an endangered species and given the highest possible level of legal protection, where by no commercial trade in shahtoosh is permitted. The selling or owning of shahtoosh was made illegal in all countries that signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Many countries including the USA, China and India are cracking down on those involved in the shahtoosh trade. Although shahtoosh is banned under the agreement, illegal hunting and selling of shahtoosh is still a serious problem in Tibet.

Shahtoosh trade banned

Jul 31, 2000 in accordance with the central government's policy on wildlife protection the Jammu and Kashmir government has banned the shahtoosh shawl trade. The trade is posing a threat to the existence of the Tibetan antelope. Economically, the ban will result in a huge revenue loss for the state, as each shahtoosh shawl sells for Rs 1,00,000 and above. The state had so far been resisting the ban on the pretext that thousands of families are depended on the trade for their living. The government said that the wool was not obtained by killing the antelope, but by collecting tufts left behind by the antelope while passing through bushes. We will request the Centre to provide a one-time exception for sale of shahtoosh stocks available with the traders," says state chief minister Farooq Abdullah. The state government is now planning to promote pashmina shawls in a big way and a trade exhibition was held in Paris for this purpose.

SHAHTOOSH TRADE BANNED

Jul 31, 2000 in accordance with the central government's policy on wildlife protection the Jammu and Kashmir government has banned the shahtoosh shawl trade. The trade is posing a threat to the existence of the Tibetan antelope. Economically, the ban will result in a huge revenue loss for the state, as each shahtoosh shawl sells for Rs 1,00,000 and above. The state had so far been resisting the ban on the pretext that thousands of families are depended on the trade for their living. The government said that the wool was not obtained by killing the antelope, but by collecting tufts left behind by the antelope while passing through bushes. We will request the Centre to provide a one-time exception for sale of shahtoosh stocks available with the traders," says state chief minister Farooq Abdullah. The state government is now planning to promote pashmina shawls in a big way and a trade exhibition was held in Paris for this purpose.

SOURCE OF THE FIBERThe chiru antelope live in one of the harshest environments on earth, at an altitude of over 5,000 metres. Their special type of down fur, which is both very light and warm, allows them to survive in the freezing conditions of the plateau where they gather at one point of the year. They are migratory animals - moving down from Mongolia to Tibet - and traditionally followed closely by the nomads, who also make that journey every year. The nomads would hunt the antelope for all that it provided them - hide, meat, bones, horns and fur pelts - in short, everything that the nomads needed to sustain them through their journey.

Wildlife experts hail ban on shahtoosh shawls

MUMBAI: Animal rights activists, environmentalists and naturalists have welcomed the ban passed last week on the manufacture of shahtoosh shawls in Jammu and Kashmir, the only place where these internationally sought-after shawls are woven. The shawls are made from the wool of the Tibetan antelope or chiru, an endangered species that has been slaughtered for its fleece in huge numbers in recent years. The fleece is smuggled from Tibet into Kashmir, where women weave it into gossamer-thin shawls weighing less than 150 grams that are warm enough to ward off sub-zero temperatures. "The hard-won ban on shahtoosh manufacture will give a new lease of life to the Tibetan antelope,'' Isaac Kehimkar of the Bombay Natural History Society said on behalf of the scientists at the organisation. "Nearly 20,000 chiru are killed annually, according to official Chinese estimates. And less than 75,000 animals remain today. So this ban has come not a moment too soon.'‘ It has, in fact, come after ten years of vigorous international lobbying and two court cases in the Jammu high court by wildlife groups that include the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI)).

A woman wearing a shahtoosh shawl. Shahtoosh is used to make shawls and scarves. In India, jail time is one possible consequence for possessing a shahtoosh shawl. Shahtoosh is the most expensive wool in the world and is used to make articles of clothing such as shawls and scarves. It is extremely lightweight and soft, yet is surprisingly warm. The fibers are extremely thin — approximately six times thinner than the size of a human hair. Generally, the wool comes from Tibetan antelope fur, specifically the very fine undercoat; the animal is also known as the Chiru. The name is a Persian word that translates as "king of wools." Given the delicate nature of the fur, it takes an extremely talented artisan to work with this fabric, making these shawls quite valuable and precious. The shawls typically are made in Kashmir, which is a state in India. Historically, shahtoosh shawls were used as dowry items in India; however, the latter half of the 20th century saw this fabric become a must-have item in worldwide fashion. Their popularity continued to grow, and the shawls were in high demand. The Chiru, whose fur was used for these shawls, began to be hunted excessively, and the animal soon ended up on the endangered species list. More than 160 countries signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, making killing, harming, or trading the Chiru illegal throughout the world since 1979.