Wool

What is wool?

When we refer to wool, we mean the hair of sheep and the products made from it, such as yarn, fabric, and clothing. Wool is the most widely used textile fiber of animal origin, with sheep wool accounting for more than 96 percent of it. The remaining four percent mostly comes from angora goats, camels, llamas, and alpacas.

Wool is a protein fiber similar to human hair, but much finer. The thickness of hair is measured in micrometers or microns, with 1 micrometer being a thousandth of a millimeter. Human hair typically has a thickness of 40 microns or more, which is fine, but some wool types have a "micronage" of less than 20. In the wool industry, the thickness of the fiber is crucial because it determines how hard or soft the fiber feels and how much it itches. The finer (thinner) the wool, the softer it is and the less it itches, making it more comfortable to wear. For centuries, breeders have been working to make wool finer by selecting sheep with the best wool quality and focusing on breeding programs. One well-known sheep breed with high-quality wool is the merino sheep.

Wool fibers are not smooth but have a scaly surface, which is only visible under a microscope. This affects how wool products need to be cared for. When wool is agitated in water and soap is added, these scales lift and interlock, causing the wool to shrink and felt. This felting can be intentional (for example, to make felt or lightly felted fabrics), but often it happens accidentally. The crimped hairs create an insulating layer that protects the animal from temperature changes and other weather conditions. The wool fibers themselves are coated with a natural layer of wax (lanolin) that makes the fleece water-repellent. However, wool allows water vapor to escape from inside to the outside. These natural properties are almost fully retained in wool clothing: wool is warm and insulating, but breathable, making it ideal for those in fluctuating temperatures or spending a lot of time outdoors.

Wool can absorb up to 33% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet. On the other hand, when wool becomes thoroughly soaked (e.g., after washing), it dries very slowly. Wool has even more great qualities: it is easy to care for, repels dirt, doesn't burn, doesn't wrinkle, protects against UV rays, and is naturally elastic.

Organic wool

The organic wool sector is quite small. In 2015, less than one percent of sheep were raised organically. Wool labeled as "organic" must meet several requirements. There are essentially two phases. The first phase concerns how the sheep are farmed, while the second deals with how the wool is processed into textiles.

Regarding organic sheep farming, two key aspects are animal welfare and environmental protection. This means, for example, that organic sheep farming pays special attention to the animals' housing, ensuring they have as much access as possible to the outdoors or pasture, that the number of animals is in balance with the size of the pasture to avoid overgrazing, erosion, and over-fertilization, that animal feed comes from organic agriculture, that genetic modification is not allowed, and that sheep are not treated preventatively with insecticides. Mulesing (explained below) is also prohibited in organic sheep farming.

The second phase is the processing of wool into textiles. This can include yarn, fabric, or clothing, and it must meet the requirements set by an organic textile certification. The most important certification for organic textiles is the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS). To be GOTS-certified, the wool must come from organic sheep farming. Additionally, the entire production chain, from processing wool into finished products (washing, spinning, knitting or weaving, dyeing, garment production), must comply with strict ecological and social standards.

Independent organizations oversee that the certification is carried out correctly. ECOLOGICAL TEXTILES is also a GOTS-certified company, and we are audited annually by an independent body, in our case, CERES.

Sustainability

Wool is not only a beautiful and natural fiber but also sustainable. Sheep farming does require land, but the land used for sheep grazing is often poor and unsuitable for agriculture. Due to wool's great elasticity, it doesn't need to be ironed, and frequent washing is unnecessary—simply airing wool outdoors in fresh air is often enough, thanks to the fiber's natural self-recovery. There are many different sheep breeds, each providing wool with its unique qualities. The differences lie in properties like fiber length, crimp, strength, fineness, sheen, and purity. One of the most popular breeds is the merino sheep. Originally from Spain, this breed is now widely raised in Australia and Argentina.

Mulesing

In recent years, there has been significant criticism of sheep farming, particularly in Australia. This criticism mainly focuses on the practice of "mulesing," which is used by many farms. To prevent often life-threatening diseases caused by parasitic flies, skin around the sheep's anus is removed. The resulting scar tissue does not grow wool, thereby preventing infection sites. Mulesing helps prevent serious diseases caused by parasites, but it is a painful process often carried out without anesthesia and has rightly been condemned by animal welfare organizations. In sheep farms in Argentina (the so-called estancias) and other major sheep farming countries, mulesing is not practiced because the "blowflies" that cause issues in Australia are not present there.