What About Wool?
I’ve had two friends on separate occasions ask me about wool when we’ve been on the subject of cruelty-free choices, so it seems a worthy topic for the third peek this week into my closet. When I first looked into wool about a year ago, I was a bit daunted. Most suggestions I found had to do with staying away from big commercial companies and buying products from people who have their own sheep. I don’t know anyone who owns her own sheep, so I skipped to the next suggested step I could find, which had more to do with what not to buy.
Merino wool comes from Merino sheep. Unfortunately, the myriad folds in their skin become a festering ground for moisture and flystrike disease. Consequently, Merino sheep are subjected to a practice called mulesing, which is a lot more painful than ordinary shearing. Think Shylock in Merchant of Venice. For those of you who need to brush up on your Shakespeare, think pound of flesh. Yes. It’s a nasty business. Largely, it’s Australia that practices mulesing; therefore, avoiding any purchases of Merino wool coming from Australia is a good first step. It’s a step companies are making as well as individual consumers: H & M, Perry Ellis, Hugo Boss, and Adidas are just some of the big names that have pledged to refrain from buying Australia’s Merino wool. Celebs like Pink and Joaquin Phoenix (in a moment of clarity) also have been making some noise for the cause.
What about cashmere? Admittedly, I’ve always loved cashmere sweaters… on me or anyone else. So the question is whether or not the cashmere goats fare any better than our Merino friends. There’s no mulesing involved, so that’s a plus. And shearing, similar to shaving, doesn’t seem so bad… does it? Well, there is the question of what happens to the goats who don’t quite make the grade — which is over half of them, by the way — and to the goats when they get old. And there’s the question of how the young and aesthetically-pleasing goats are treated while they’re generating wool for us. In such a poorly-regulated industry, it’s difficult to guarantee that the goats are being treated humanely, even the productive ones. So, while I haven’t gone to the extreme of eliminating all my sweaters from the closet and starting from scratch, I’m looking for alternatives for any future purchases.
While we’re on the subject of luxury fabrics, let me say something about silk, which I’m sure many of you are wondering about anyway. I think most of us know silk comes from the cocoon-threads spun by silkworms (actually closer to caterpillars than worms). What I didn’t know until today — I’m still aghast — is that these cocoons are boiled while the silkworms are still in them! I know we all love silky things, but I couldn’t not share with you what I just learned today. Do with the info what you will.
So what are our options when it comes to cruelty-free fabrics? The best news is that there are many, many options. Because of the expanding eco-consciousness, textiles are available now that weren’t around just five years ago; and many of them also happen to be cruelty-free, such as Tencil and Polartec. Other animal-friendly fabrics to look for are those derived from hemp, organic cotton, soy, corn, and — my favorite — bamboo. While investigating, I also found a few mentions of banana fiber, though I haven’t experienced this fabric personally yet. Are these products pricey? They can be. But the Diane von Furstenberg cashmere dress I have hanging in my closet wasn’t exactly a bargain buy either.
A tip for all the knitters: Visit Knit for Brains for cruelty-free yarn, knitting needles, and vegan knitting bags.
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