Is the Production of Wool Unethical and Unsustainable At Its Core?

Sheep have been domesticated for thousands of years. For the majority of that time, people have seen no problem with it. However, in recent decades, animal activists have pointed out many problems with the production of wool – both environmental and moral. Some people have stopped wearing woollen clothes altogether. All this raises the question: is the production of wool fundamentally unsustainable and unethical?

Note: Don’t cite me on any of this, because although most of the information is cited from the sources I’ve added, the text still contains my opinions and ideas. You’re welcome to disagree. If any of the information is wrong or outdated, then please let me know (a lot of the sources were either from vegans or farmers, which made it hard to distinguish between facts and opinions). It’s in no way my intention to look down on others or criticise other ways of thinking unless these ways are completely and utterly harmful in my opinion, in which case I feel like I should be at least a bit critical.

To answer that, I first have to talk about wool itself. The definition that comes up when you Google the word is:

the fine, soft curly or wavy hair forming the coat of a sheep, goat, or similar animal, especially when shorn and prepared for use in making cloth or yarn.

* yarn or textile made from wool.

* the soft underwool or down of some mammals.

Source: Dan Hamill/Pexels

So, wool can mean both the fibre itself and the materials produced from it. This only shows how deep the roots of the production of wool go. Sheep were domesticated around 11000 to 9000 years ago and they were/are actually crucial in this whole civilization thing. Before people started growing cotton, the only options were woollen, linen and nettle textiles. Ancient Romans, Ancient Greeks and people of the Middle Ages almost exclusively wore wool. Over time, the production of wool became more sophisticated and new tecniques for weaving were introduced. It became an important way of making  a living in some Western European countries. Then, the Industrial Revolution came along. Previously, people had been artisans by profession – they had dedicated their lives to their craft. However, after that, anyone could work at a wool factory. Many craftsmen were undoubtedly mad about this and the conflicts went on for quite some time. Eventually, industrialisation won and sheep farms started becoming larger and more industrialised to suit the market demand. Nowadays, there are more than 7 billion people and the majority of them (I guess we could count off about half a billion who rarely ever wear wool because of the climate or wool allergies) use and/or wear wool in some way or another. It’s only natural that the production of wool is enormous to provide for all of them – and there are many problems with it, but also just as many misconceptions about it. I’m going to debunk a few myths and then disuss the topic in a greater depth.

First of all, certain breeds of sheep absolutely need to be sheared. Now, hear me out – this doesn’t apply to wild sheep who naturally shed once a year. However, in the 13th and 14th century, Spanish sheep farmers allowed their animals to mix with English sheep. The new breed that emerged from that was named merino, had lost its natural shedding process and needed help from humans. There have been instances of merino sheep who’ve got lost, lived in the wild and developed quite a pelt (namely, a sheep named Chris carried 39 kg/69 oz of wool!) (Orwig, 2015). According to the American Society of Animal Science, almost all domesticated sheep (not only merinos) are unable to shed and absolutely requite shearing. Unsheared sheep can become overheated, trap flies and maggots under their coats, develop infections and have trouble moving around (ASAS Board, n.d.).

The animal rights organisation PETA has brought attention to numerous videos of sheep being sheared violently and forcefully with workers punching the animals, poking their eyes, leaving them bleeding after shearing and so on (Shapiro, 2016). Moreover, merino sheep have been bred to have wrinkly skin as folds increase the area for wool to grow. These wrinkles are the perfect living space for many parasites who can quite literally eat the animal alive. In order to prevent that, some sheep farmers have resorted to mulesing or in other words, cutting off chunks of the animal’s skin (without any painkillers). In addition to that, sheep are sheared earlier than they would naturally shed and therefore many of them die of cold. Old sheep are often kept in crowded holding pens before selling for slaughter. The sheep are then placed onto ships or packed into trucks, where their lambs may be trampled to death (Embar, n.d.). These are real problems and there’s no doubt about it. Although a lot has been done to stop such inhumane treatment of animals, it’s almost impossible to control huge farms that are only focused on profit and therefore don’t care about animal welfare.

Another thing to consider when talking about the production of wool is the sustainability of it. For example, an article from 1997 states that over 5 million kangaroos are killed each year because they’re seen as pests and the yellow-footed rock wallaby has become endangered because of that (Curnoe, 1997). (Nowadays, they are endagered in New South Wales and Queensland and vulnerable in South Australia (Yellow-footed…, n.d.).) There are environmental problems regarding other animals bred for wool as well. In the past, Mongolian herders used to herd sheep, camels, yaks and cows for a living. However, China’s consumer class has risen and along with that the price of cashmere. The country hasn’t got any strict controls on the wool, which only increases the export of it. Mongolia produced a third of the global supply in 2015 and it’s devastating for the country’s nature. The goats’ hooves are so sharp that massive areas of Mongolia’s grasslands have been trampled down into desert and the average temperature has risen 4 degrees Fahrenheit. According to a researcher, 90% of the overgrazed land could be recovered naturally, but that would create unstable ecosystems, which would be less healthy than deserts. It’s been said that herders should be convinced to swap their goats for camels, whose feet are easier on the ground, but it’s not as lucrative (Schmitz, 2016). This is a prime example of environmental damage caused by the production of wool.

Source: Pixabay

Synthetic materials seem like the perfect alternative. There are thousands of them that are similar to wool in appearance, but don’t cause any harm to animals, are durable and shine in hundreds of vibrant colours. Moreover, unlike most types of wool, synthetic materials can be washed in the washing machine. Some say that there is virtually no need for wool any more, so should we switch over to synthetic materials?

While the infomation presented in the paragraph above certainly supports this argument, we’ve got to consider the problems with synthetic materials as well. First of all, there are two types of synthetic materials. The first type is made from natural fibers (cellulose) that have been chemically treated. Rayon is an example of that. Materials of the second type (such as nylon and acrylic) are fully synthetic (Disadvantages of…, n.d.). It’s quite obvious that the production of such fibres requires either trees being cut down or the usage of crude oil. While synthetic fibres are certainly fascinating for people interested in chemistry (like me), have played very important roles in the 20th and 21th century and made fashion accessible to most people, they still have many downsides.

To start with, synthetic materials don’t trap air in small pockets and therefore provide poor insulation. They aren’t breathable and can easily become loaded with static electricity. Synthetic materials are often prone to heat damage and can melt onto the skin in case of fire (Disadvantages of…, n.d.). Polyester has been linked to hormonal disruption (The Dangers of…, 2018) and the EPA has classified acrylonitrile (a substance used in the production of modacrylic fibers) as a possible human carcirogen and listed its health risks (Acrylonitrile, 2016). In addition to that, the production of textile is accountable for over 20% of the world’s industrial water pollution. Some chemicals and dyes used to produce synthetic materials end up in rivers. Polyester and nylon, both made from petroleum, don’t degrade in nature. The production of polyester uses large amounts of water and the production of nylon emits N2O, a dangerous greenhouse gas. While polyesters can be recycled, nylon cannot (The Dangers of…, 2018).

So now that we’ve established that there are problems with both fibres, is it all hopeless? Is it really impossible to be both ethical and environmentally friendly?

Not really.

The problems with the production of wool that are mentioned above aren’t universal. The American Society of Animal Science has said it doesn’t tolerate the treatment of animals shown in those videos and has clearly stated that any responsible farmer would intervene to stop such behaviour. While shearing cuts do occur from time to time, they don’t involve serious injury. It has also said that similar practices are not the norm in the US or Australia and and they aren’t beneficial either (ASAS Board, n.d.). The last word is especially important to note. In many smaller farms, the owners really do care about their sheep and do everything they can in order to avoid injuries. Moreover, small wool farms such as many in Estonia and elsewhere in Northern Europe are often highly sustainable. Their sheep can live peaceful lives outside and keep meadows free from forestation, which contributes to biodiversity. Many of those farms use all parts of the animals and let nothing go to waste.

Source: Pexels

Locally sourced ethically and sustainably produced wool from smaller farms may seem like the perfect middle ground… but there’s always a thorn, isn’t there? Wool like that is hard to come by in the US and in other highly industrialised countries. Huge store chains only sell clothes made from synthetic materials. On the one hand, it’s beneficial to the environment, since otherways they would probably sell inhumanely sourced low quality wool. The extent of wool production would be even more massive, cruel and environmentally damaging. On the other hand, the world’s current obsession with synthetic materials is destructive as well. Not only does it destroy the environment, but it is also the reason why most people in the US have absolutely no idea about the different types of wool, the washing of woollen clothes and the pros and cons of different materials. This lack of knowledge creates myths and misconceptions such as all wool is scratchy, you cannot wash woollen clothes, there’s no difference between the different types of fibres and so on. People with these misconceptions often lose their connection with nature and start fearing everything of natural origin. So, both increasing the amount of woollen products and lowering it creates even more problems.

Should we forget about wool then?

If you think that abandoning all sorts of cattle breeding and herding is the most ethical solution, then you’re probably not totally wrong. After all, if there are no animals, there can be no animal abuse. However, what should we do with the animals? If you agree with the statement above, then killing them all and feeding them to people probably sounds unethical to you. Slowly reducing the production of wool might be a much better alternative, but what exactly would we use in place of wool? Linen and cotton (especially cotton) have their own industries that might be vegan, but still use enormous amounts of water and release tons of chemicals every minute. Moreover, while those two are, without doubt, great fibres and already widely used, they’re just very different from wool and don’t fit the niche. Using synthetic materials in place of wool would definitely be more ethical, but also bring along all the problems mentioned in some of the previous paragraphs. Not using wool would probably also be disastrous for many tribes and small nations who are traditionally sheep herders and depend on it. It would be robbing them of their cultures. And after all, the problem isn’t with those people and their herds, but with huge uncontrollable farms.

Source: Temo Berishvili/Pexels

You see, the thing is that right now farms can only declare themselves ethical/environmentally friendly (in most countries, to my knowledge) after formal examination. Getting all the certificates and badges is quite tedious. However, if being ethical became the norm, many large sheep farms would certainly try to avoid that, mess with the laws and fake their badges. There are so many farms in the world that it’s impossible to know what goes on in most of them. How could we even try to regulate their owners and methods? Also, the convert from unethical to ethical is costly and not exactly eco-friendly.

However, even after considering all the problems with converting to sustainable wool production all around the world, I truely believe that sustainability can become the norm and help us cope with the ever-growing population of the world. That’s just my two cents as an optimist. However, no matter whether you believe wool should stay and just become more eco-friendly via stricter regulation on huge farms and encouragement for small farmers or we should just move on and adapt synthetic materials, you can definitely do something in order to help the world. It doesn’t have to be going vegan. You can start by just buying sweaters made from alpaca or camel wool instead of cashmere, supporting indie crafters and being aware of how your choices affect the environment. It’s still possible to save the planet.

This article was written to support the international #FridaysforFuture campaign. I’m a 16-year-old myself and quite obviously very worried about the future of our planet. In order to show my support, I’m going to cut down on using unsustainably produced craft supplies including yarn and instead use Oeko-Tex or otherwise certified materials.

Sources:

Orwig, J. (2015.) Enormous, cloud-like sheep are an evolutionary nightmare. Used 15.03.2019, link.

ASAS Board. (n.d.). There’s no such thing as humane wool left on the sheep: Why sheep shearing is absolutely necessary for sheep welfare. Used 15.03.2019, link.

Embar, W. (n.d.). Wool. Used 16.03.2019, link.

Curnoe, D. (1997). Wool… the Reality for the Sheep. Vegan Views, 77. Used 16.03.2019, link.

Schmitz, R. (2016). How Your Cashmere Sweater Is Decimating Mongolia’s Grasslands. Used 16.03.2019, link.

Disadvantages of Synthetic Fibres. (n.d.). Used 16.03.2019, link.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Acrylonitrile. (2016). Used 16.03.2019, link.

The Dangers of Synthetic Fibers and Fabrics on the Environment. (2018). Used 16.03.2019, link.

Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby. (n.d.). Used 16.03.2019, link.