One of the reasons Scotland, particularly the West Coast, is known for cashmere production is due to the naturally soft water. “It creates a lovely, sleek product,” said Emily White, Chief Innovation Officer. “It’s why Alex Begg was originally established in Paisley, back in the 19th century. Later, we relocated to Ayr in search of the best quality water source.”
The company has operated a weaving mill in Ayr since the early 1900s. At the end of 2020, it purchased a knitting facility in Hawick, meaning around 230 staff are employed between the two sites. The business has two pillars: a bespoke side
as a supplier to luxury fashion brands and its own label, Begg x Co.
“The goal for us is that when a product leaves here, it will be passed down from one consumer to the next,” Ms White explained. “We are the antithesis of fast fashion. That’s something that we hold central in our product development.”
Alex Begg has been owned by Lindéngruppen since the 1980s. The Swedish firm is dedicated to the sustainable long-term development of industrial manufacturing companies.
“Lindéngruppen believes that manufacturing can be sustainable and
Alex Begg is known for crafting exquisite accessories from the finest cashmere, silk and wool blend yarns. With over 150 years in the business, the company is synonymous with quality, attention to detail – and sustainability. Hannah Barnett spoke to Chief Innovation Officer Emily White and Sustainability Manager Fiona MacDonald to find out more.
a force for good,” Fiona MacDonald, Sustainability Manager, explained. “It’s very much a purpose-driven company. The ethos of people, planet, and profit working together permeates throughout the business.”
Securing value
Lindéngruppen has introduced an innovative value creation model, developed alongside accounting giant KPMG, to track business impact.
“Where traditionally there is a profit and loss sheet, Lindéngruppen also look at social and environmental factors to work
out true value creation,” Ms MacDonald said. “So now we measure ourselves against these through monthly KPIs and our annual budget. I think this is quite unique in our industry - to not just say that sustainability matters, but to actually create measurements, and then hold ourselves accountable against them.”
Targets include increasing the circularity of products and packaging. The company is also countering the textile industry’s poor reputation for waste, made all more the egregious when the materials are expensive.
“Since the end of 2022, we’ve worked with various partners to upcycle 100 per
cent of our offcuts,” said Ms MacDonald. “This is either through donations, or by selling them as crafting packages and mattress fillings. We are extremely proud as it is a huge achievement for any company, especially in the textile industry.”
This success coincides well with Alex Begg’s recent accomplishment. As of June 2024, Alex Begg Group is now a Certified B Corp™. Requiring two years’ work to attain, B Corp is no mean feat.
“We’re really proud of that too,” Ms MacDonald reflected. “B Corp provides a strategic direction for the business and people recognise how difficult it is to get. It means we have joined a community of businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy. And it doesn’t stop; there’s a new standard for B Corp in development, so the work to make sure that we are constantly improving starts now.”
Slow is sustainable
Working with the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) means the company has been at the forefront of understanding the complexities of fibre traceability. The non-profit organisation represents a global alliance of supply chain actors and
industry experts to ensure the long-term viability of the cashmere sector.
As Alex Begg is not a vertical mill – it does not spin its own yarn but purchases it from suppliers – membership has proven a decisive step. So much so that Una Jones, CEO and Founder of the SFA, has credited Alex Begg as a pioneering force within the SFA cashmere programme.
“It would be easy to remove ourselves from the rest of the supply chain,” said Ms MacDonald. “Instead, we decided to engage. We ran project called CapraCare for around five years, sourcing fibre from Mongolia and tracing it through the rest of the supply chain, working closely with our partners. That really helped to test fibre traceability within the textile industry.”
Alex Begg has been working with many of its spinners for 40 years, or more. This loyalty has proven invaluable in the move to certified fibre, partly due to the lengthiness of the process; orders are usually made a year in advance.
“We had the conversations about changing to certified fibre for a long time with suppliers,” said Ms MacDonald. “They have collaborated with us as partners, and we have ensured that they’re not left short in the transition and that they see the benefits for them too.”
“Back in the early days of the SFA, it wasn’t really on the radar of our customers,” Ms White added. “But there’s been a real sea change over time. The SFA has become much more visible in the
market. Now we’re in a position where many brands won’t accept fibre with any other kind of certification.”
Spinning authentic yarns
Alex Begg is now striving to become carbon neutral by 2030. This means measuring all Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, increasing sustainable offerings to customers and becoming certified for responsible wool, as well as cashmere.
“Sustainability has become a buzzword,” Ms White reflected. “But we do these things because we think it matters. And if it matters to our customers too, great. But if it doesn’t, we’re still doing it. However, I find customers respond very well to our creativity. I think, as a business, we have a strong sense of bravery – it’s one of our
values. We’re willing to try things that other suppliers might shy away from.”
The company is a Living Wage employer and has been for several years. Despite this, one of the key challenges it faces, along with much of the industry, is recruiting a skilled workforce.
“We have highly skilled people in our mill who have trained for years to be in their positions, but there’s no qualification for a tuner or weaver in Scotland,” said Ms MacDonald. “We created our own apprenticeship programme to develop the level craftsmanship required for our customers.”
Alex Begg also recently appointed a new CEO, Bruno Guillon, who knows the business well, having joined from the non-executive board.
“He will be driving a great deal of change as time goes on,” Ms White concluded. “Creativity is going to be a key pillar along with sustainability. I think it goes back to the bravery element. The creative approach, and willingness to try things, applies to the way that we engineer our products. But it also applies to our people, and how they go about
their work. I think that’s going to be interesting as we move forward under our new CEO.
“I identify with the values of our owner, Jenny Lindén Urnes. Her sustainable approach and long-term view means that we are empowered to make the right choices for our colleagues, for our community and for the planet.” n
