Wool and the Environment | Wool Facts (2024)

FAQs

How does wool affect the environment? ›

As with other forms of animal agriculture, raising sheep for wool gobbles up precious resources. Land is cleared and trees are cut down to make room for grazing, leading to increased soil salinity and erosion and a decrease in biodiversity.

100% natural and renewable, wool is the most reused and recyclable apparel fibre on the planet. Merino wool is finer than human hair, can be softer than cashmere and gentle on even the most sensitive skin. Wool is 100% biodegradable so does not contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans or land.

All woollen products are renewable and biodegradable. There are many types of wool, but a certified 'organic wool' means the wool has been produced without any chemicals. Chemicals are commonly used on farms to help the farmer increase yields.

Wool is one of the most environmentally damaging materials.

According to the groundbreaking “Pulse of the Fashion Industry” report, wool is one of the four most environmentally damaging materials. Since it's one of the lucrative co-products of the unsustainable meat industry, this is hardly surprising.

Ultimately though, both alpaca and sheep wools are very sustainable options.

For any situation in which sweat is a possibility, you'll be more comfortable in a summer weight wool, which wicks moisture away from the skin, helping keep you cooler and drier. Not only does wool help keep you cool in summer, but Merino wool in hot humid weather doesn't wilt or wrinkle like cotton and linen.

Wool is comparatively flame-retardant. If ignited, it usually has a low burning rate and may self-extinguish.

We still can't wrap our heads around the fact that up to 90% of sheep wool is burned or buried in countries across Europe – that's around 200 000 tonnes every year. It's a fact that inspired us to start Woola.

By definition, vegans do not participate in any form of exploitation of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. This makes wool firmly not vegan. When it comes to wool, the hard truth is the wool industry exploits sheep, and there is evidence to show this results in significant harm to the animals.

Tragically, the wool industry is just as cruel as the fur trade. Sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, rabbits, camels, bison, and oxen are among the innocent animals who suffer and die as a result of the wool industry. A pair of socks or a sweater is not worth the immense torture wool-bearing animals are forced to endure.

Is wool OK for skin? ›

Wool can absorb and release twice as much moisture vapour as cotton and 30 times as much as polyester. When worn next to the skin, wool works to buffer the dynamic micro-climate between the fabric and the skin, helping to stabilise the humidity and temperature. It appears that wool acts like a second skin.

Wool is also highly and easily recyclable and the resulting 'new' fiber can be re-used to create luxurious fabrics, thus extending the lifetime of garments, avoiding – or reducing -the use of virgin materials and helping reducing stress on the environment.

Wool, while being durable, is also naturally biodegradable. Recent research has shown some synthetic clothing takes hundreds of years to degrade in landfills, while wool, the most recycled fabric, takes only about a year.

And since workers are often paid by the volume of wool they shear, they work dangerously fast. The sheep's skin gets cut, tails and ears get gashed, and sheep are abused and beaten. Farmers often use the practice of mulesing, which is unnecessarily cruel.

Tens of thousands of sheep have been burned to death, often fenced-in and unable to escape. When we compare wool to other fibers, both natural and synthetic, inclusion of enteric methane gas emissions means that wool will consistently have the highest GWP (global warming potential) impact.

Land clearing & deforestation, grazing, and hoof compaction from hard-hooved animals like sheep contribute to land degradation, including severe forms: soil erosion and desertification.

It is renewable, and if the supplier follows organic farming practices and both animal welfare and traceability standards are adhered to, it is one of the most sustainable fabric choices you can make. Wool is also biodegradable and recyclable.

Wool is a fiber that forms the protective covering, or fleece, of certain animals. It is most often associated with sheep, but other hairy mammals, such as goats and camels, also produce wool. The wool protects the animal against both heat and cold.