Recently, textiles have nearly all been made using earth’s resources and at the end of their life can take decades to degrade. With 60% of clothing now being made from synthetics, micro plastics produced from their breakdown are now known to cause damage to the environment, creating health issues. These are extremely slow to degrade, taking 20 to 500 years to decompose depending material structure and factors like sunlight exposure. A ticking eco-time bomb with so much being discarded in our oceans and onto land every day causing problems for our planet and future generations.
Can a garment be made from a material that naturally and quickly biodegrades at the end of its useful life? Yes, if it is made from Wool. So, what are some of the benefits of this fabulous fibre?
Sheep grow a new fleece annually making wool a renewable fibre source. Grazing on sub-marginal land fertilising it and improving soil structure they help plant and insect diversity.
Wool has been used since the Stone Age for clothing and insulation and as a fibre is one of the best textile thermal protectors available. Science is yet to produce a fibre which matches all the unique properties of wool.
Wool is high in water and nitrogen content, so is naturally flame-retardant with a greater ignition threshold than many fibres. It does not melt sticking to the skin causing burns, and it produces much less noxious fumes than synthetic fibres. It can provide this natural fire protection in a breathable, resilient, stretchable and flexible garment.
Wool absorbs moisture and constantly adapts to changes in temperature, so keeping the body’s temperature comfortable in both cold and warm weather. Wool filled duvets are excellent at controlling night-time body temperature, keeping warm when it is cold and cooler when it is warm.
Wool fibre is elastic and acts like a coiled spring in a garment giving wool its ability to both stretch and compress before bouncing back to its original shape, maintaining the appearance of the garment.
Wool fibre is diverse and it can be processed into many beautiful forms of cloth, such as woven, nonwoven, knitted, felted, or tufted product.
Wool is comfortable. even when worn against the skin. Many people still have the misconception that wool is itchy and uncomfortable.
Wool has a naturally high level of UV protection, which is much higher than most synthetics and cotton
Wool absorbs up to 25% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet, a useful feature when next to the skin helping control body moisture, wicking it away from the skin. This moisture helps it be naturally anti-static and the waxy coating on wool fibres protects them, making wool products resistant to staining.
Wool is anti-microbial so does not promote the growth of bacteria, reducing body odours caused by stale sweat.
Wool worn at home helps keep you warm, so turn down the central heating, help reduce energy consumption costs and carbon emissions into the planet too.
Wool at the end of its useful life, will quickly decompose, releasing nutrients back into the ground in a very short time.
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