AKIPRESS.COM - Edinburgh Woollen Mill is being prosecuted for mislabeling scarves as "100 percent" cashmere, reports Herald Scotland.

The retail giant - which has 265 High Street stores - insists it will "vigorously defend" the case when it comes to trial on Friday at Dumfries Sheriff Court.

However, the firm's prosecution comes amid broader industry-wide concerns that cashmere is being blended with cheaper wool from sheep and yak in Chinese factories.

A jumper labeled as cashmere can be bought on the High Street for under £20 - raising suspicions about the purity of wool, which is very expensive.

Prosecutors have brought their case against Edinburgh Woollen Mill, which is based in Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway, under the textile products (labeling and fiber composition) regulations of 2012.

The charges are understood to relate to bargain products sold as "100 per cent cashmere" but which allegedly contain other fabrics.

Edinburgh Woollen Mill, in a statement to the Sunday Times, said: "We strongly refute these claims. The cashmere products sold by Edinburgh Woollen Mill are subject to robust independent testing by experts in the fiber-testing field.

"Furthermore, we conduct regular supplier audits designed to ensure the highest standards of product authenticity throughout our business."

The Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute said it estimated that, across the industry, at least a quarter of products were being mislabeled. It said this affected lower priced items the most.

In one recent Italian case, rat fur was found to have been used to replace cashmere among 1m fake items seized in Rome.

Selina Scott, the former television presenter, recently launched her own range of cashmere products. She visited Mongolia, where cashmere coats are raised, to see the trade for herself.

She said: "It's an absolute scam. It is a well-recognized fact in the industry that parts of the cashmere trade have been corrupted." Ms Scott added that cashmere goat herders in Mongolia were suffering as demand for the real product was met with fakes.

Other industry sources have said there are simply no enough goats in the world to produce the sheer volume of cashmere currently for sale.