What is organic wool?

What is organic wool?

Organic wool is a responsible alternative to conventional wool.

Serious labels rely on high standards to guarantee farming conditions that respect animals, the planet and people. As long as it comes from responsible farms, wool therefore meets every criterion to be one of the favoured materials of ethical fashion.

Why organic wool?

Conventional wool is a natural animal material made from the hair of certain mammals. Its thermoregulating and odour-resistant properties are highly valued by the textile industry. Easy to clean, it is antibacterial, biodegradable and holds on to neither odours nor dust. Clothes made from wool last a very long time, so they are durable in that respect.

What's more, processing it takes far less energy than the synthetic materials that try to imitate it, such as acrylic, which is made from petroleum.

Yet wool is sometimes criticised because it raises several issues: the environmental impact of farming through CO2 emissions and chemical inputs, social impact and, above all, animal welfare, threatened by cruel practices such as mulesing. It is on these points that organic wool stands out as a more responsible alternative.

What does organic wool guarantee?

Certified by the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) label, or its German equivalent kbT, organic wool meets high standards of environmental responsibility and animal welfare:

• A ban on mulesing, a widely condemned practice that involves removing part of the sheep's skin without anaesthetic to protect it from certain diseases
• Organic farming and grazing areas, and responsible land management
• A ban on hormone treatments, which are potentially dangerous for animals and people
• Wool cleaned according to strict principles...