According to Hreggviður Magnússon, economist and expert in the eiderdown market, it is clear that people are buying fake eiderdown products, or at best eiderdown mixed with other types of down lessening the natural quality of the eiderdown and the product people are buying.
“It is a fun fact that a duvet filled only with eiderdown is rarer than a Rolls Royce as the RR sells in higher quantity and the limited natural supply of this eco-sustainable commodity is truly fit for a king due to its performance and rarity,” explains Magnússon.
According to Magnússon, people need to look for origin verification and/or proof that there is only eiderdown in the filling material.
Global production/harvest of cleaned eiderdown is roughly four tons and can fit on one small truck. This is high contrast to the annual goose down harvest that is counted in the tens of thousands of tons. Japan alone imported 6.000t of goose down in 2010, and in 2009, official records in Japan showed sales of eiderdown duvets were over 20t, a stark contrast to the actual average yearly eiderdown supply worldwide.
The main areas for handpicking eiderdown are Canada (10-15%) and Iceland (85-90%) – Icelandic eiderdown accounts for ca. 85% of global supply. The eiderdown supply is naturally limited forever, and if anything dwindling.
“This underlines the fact that people need be careful in not buying fake eiderdown products, know the source and understand how to check if the products are fake,” states Magnússon.
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