TEXTILES.ORG
As consumer sentiment increasingly turns toward sustainability, many textile providers are striving to make their operations and goods more eco-friendly to meet their customers’ standards. The wool industry is one of those providers taking notice, with many throughout the supply chain undertaking efforts to become more eco-conscious as well as more transparent and accountable. As a result, many have earned various certifications and applied certain standards to ensure their eco-friendly claims are legitimate and can be trusted.
It has been an evolution, says Keith Martin, vice president at Precision Textiles. Headquartered in Fairfield, N.J., Precision is a global supplier of nonwoven and laminated solutions for the bedding, health care and automotive industries.
“For example, in the past, wool production often focused on volume and cost, with less emphasis placed on the treatment of animals,” Martin explains. “Today, there is increasing emphasis on the humane treatment of animals.
“There’s also a growing trend to prioritize regenerative farming practices, which focus on improving soil health, biodiversity and better grazing management,” he continues. “[And] there has been a shift to greater transparency and verification throughout the supply chain.”
Martin expects a continuing emphasis on and demand for sustainable products, especially regarding regenerative farming in wool growing. He also anticipates increased use of recycled wool—a circular approach that will serve to “minimize waste and maximize resource efficiency so that wool remains a sustainable and responsible choice for the future,” he says.
Meeting rising demand
Precision Textiles has been using certified wool since 2016 in its PurLoft® Organic product to meet the request of a major mattress manufacturer.
“[The customer] wanted a high level of certified organic materials,” Martin says. “After careful consideration, we selected [Global Organic Textile Standard-] GOTS-certified wool because of its organic properties and the strict standards it adheres to for environmental and social responsibility.”
Both PurLoft and PurLoft Organic are GOTS-certified and made using wool fibers that are naturally flame-resistant. The PurLoft products each act as a flame-resistant fire barrier and when placed directly under the mattress cover, also provide loft for added comfort.
Precision selected the wool via the Wool Integrity™ Programme. The wool comes from a specific type of New Zealand sheep known for its naturally crimped fibers. The renewable, biodegradable wool fibers are inherently flame-resistant, and the air pockets created by the fibers provide temperature regulation. Their crimped nature helps the products retain their shape longer, increasing durability. Other benefits include odor and allergen protection.
The barriers are composed of 40% GOTS-certified wool and incorporate flame-resistant rayon and other natural fibers.
At present, the percentage of Precision’s products using certified wool is somewhat small but growing, says Martin, adding that there are plans to expand certified wool’s use into other product lines to “stay ahead of the curve” and offer more solutions aligned with customer values.
Devising a road map
“The global fashion industry is at a critical juncture, facing increasing pressure to adopt more sustainable practices,” says Monica Ebert, sports and performance business development and sustainability manager, Americas, for The Woolmark Company. “We believe that wool offers a solution to the fashion and textile industry’s sustainability challenges.”
Woolmark is a subsidiary of the not-for-profit Sydney-based Australian Wool Innovation. That enterprise conducts research, development and marketing for Australian wool on behalf of about 60,000 woolgrowers, who helped fund the organization.
In September 2024, Woolmark launched Woolmark+, which Ebert describes as a “road map of initiatives to propel the wool industry forward on a global journey” toward greater sustainability, environmental stewardship and resilience as well as “prioritizing climate action, resource management and animal well-being.”
The impetus behind this initiative, which has been receiving “really positive feedback and engagement,” says Ebert, was the relative lack of industry momentum toward achieving these objectives.
“Meaningful progress has been slow, despite over 15 years of dialogue and pledges from brands,” she says. “Governments worldwide are now stepping in, introducing new legislation to reduce waste, greenhouse gas emissions and chemical usage in the textile industry. These new laws are not just regulatory hurdles but also opportunities for transformation.”
Woolmark+ complements the Responsible Wool Standard (RSW) and other certifications and highlights programs that woolgrowers, the wool supply chain and brands can explore to help operate in more sustainable ways, acting together, says Ebert. Some of these programs include providing opportunities for emissions reduction throughout the wool supply chain; supporting and investing in a nature-positive future; and providing practical metrics to woolgrowers, brands and “on-farm environmental certification schemes” for assessing, reporting and verifying environmental outcomes.
Fostering a better understanding of wool growing strategies is a key part of the initiative among those tasked with developing the standards, laws and policies that could shape the global textiles industry, says Ebert.
“Most of this legislation is being written out of Europe, and it’s possible that those developing it may never have stepped foot on a sheep farm in Australia or perhaps even one in Europe,” she explains. “The consequences could very well be losing market access and wool farmers ultimately being put out of business if legislation and/or standards don’t understand the complexity of wool growing practices.”
Farm-to-finish sustainability
Located in New Zealand, Nuyarn® produces high-performance merino wool yarns, fabrics and garments for markets and brands in the U.S., Europe and Japan, says Andy Wynne, founder and CEO. The “purpose-built” spinning machines, created to make its twist-free technical Nuyarn Merino yarns, spin faster, use less energy and have a smaller factory footprint than conventional, Wynne says. Nuyarn Merino fabric is strong and light for outdoor recreation gear, holds up to extreme weather, dries quickly and lasts much longer than competing products. The twist-free spinning technology was introduced in 2014.
Sustainability, biodiversity, animal welfare, ethical sourcing and soil health, among other environmental concerns, have always been a focus for the company, says Wynne. Nuyarn has been buying RWS-certified wool for quite some time, sourcing mainly from sheep farms in Australia and New Zealand—a pipeline that makes working with the farmers easier and lowers the company’s carbon footprint.
In 2024, the entire operation was brought into compliance with the RSW standard to provide greater transparency and traceability for its customers. Every process, from the farm to the end product, undergoes a rigid and ongoing auditing process—one Wynne describes as being “very onerous and not for the fainthearted.
“Consumers are becoming extremely informed, and there’s a huge shift with brands wanting to introduce natural rather than synthetic products, being driven by consumers,” says Wynne. “There is also a real drive on the part of athletes to wear more sustainable wool rather than garments made from petroleum-based fabrics, which has presented a real opportunity for us.”
Pamela Mills-Senn is a freelance writer based in Seal Beach, Calif.
SIDEBAR: Wool standards and certifications
Included among various certifications and standards are:
- The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): Intended to define worldwide recognized requirements for organic textiles. Visit: global-standard.org.
- The Responsible Wool Standard (RSW): A voluntary standard focused on sheep welfare, land management and other requirements. Visit: TextileExchange.org/responsible-wool-standard.
- The EU Ecolabel: Created to promote the goods/services that clearly demonstrate environmental excellence. Visit: EcoLabel.eu.
- The Wool Integrity™ Programme: Designed to assure all parties in the wool supply chain that the products carrying this designation are ethically and sustainably produced. Visit: WoolIntegrity.com.