Global fashion is taking steep turns with every passing day. The textile industry experiences extreme pressure from the consumers in order to reduce waste and pollution and be more sustainable and eco-friendlier for the environment.
Big fashion houses, industries, and the supply chain is forced to be more mindful of their ways of production and adopt a more sustainable ‘circular’ model. Wool is an excellent fabric that enables circularity.
This article will help you understand how a versatile and sustainable fabric like wool aligns with the circular economy.
How to process wool with care for circularity?
Looking at the current environmental issues the world faces, the need for more eco-friendly production methods is now more than ever. The circular economy primarily has the following principles:
- Using more renewable resources
- Managing waste production and pollution
- Reusing products and materials for a long time
- Reviving natural systems
Many brands take conscious actions to improve and shift into a circular economy model. The answer to this switch and transformation is wool.
Here are some of the ways in which wool can help enable circularity in the economy when processed with care.
1.Washing wool with organic detergent:
Wool is a sustainable fabric and does not require additional synthetic fibres. Because sheep emit about twenty-thirty litres of methane per day, the producers have to wash the fleeces with synthetic fibres.
This methane emission has become a significant issue in countries like New Zealand, one of the biggest exporters of wool with about 45-million sheep. This means washing the sheep with many chemically harmful soaps with a super-wash treatment.
Additionally, this process leads to significant water wastage with organic halogen compounds. With more awareness and active actions, this process can be substantially reduced and hence, there will be a much more eco-friendly way of washing the wool.
2.Removing synthetic products from the dyeing process:
The process of dyeing and mordants is another major point of concern when it comes to sustainable wool production. This process is inefficient at various levels and causes significant inconveniences to the environment.
The harmful chemicals used in this process are even toxic to human beings and can cause several hazardous conditions like lung diseases and, in some cases, even cancer.
Removing harmful chemicals from the dyeing process can significantly reduce the damage caused to the environment. Products like mordants and softeners can include more biodegradable materials easily found in any kitchen.
3.Revive wool certification:
Given the animal welfare aspect, it can be easy to believe that synthetic fibres are a better and more sustainable alternative to animals. However, the repercussions of using synthetics are very harmful to the environment and non-reversible.
Because synthetic fibres are non-renewable, they cannot be recycled and eventually take years to decompose. This decomposition takes place in a toxic and not beneficial way.
The wool industry has been under scrutiny for animal and environmental welfare reasons. Certifying wool generation will ensure that no harmful chemicals are released. This will make wool a safer and more sustainable fabric to use.
Wrapping Up.
Since wool is made of 100% natural biodegradable protein, it is essential to keep the production process sustainable. An eco-friendly wool production will also lead to an eco-friendly decomposition.
In contrast, using synthetic fibres for the production will not help the fabric decompose and will instead lead to accumulation in landfills, releasing harmful microplastics.
Author Bio:
Alison Lurie is a farmer of words in the field of creativity. She is an experienced independent content writer with a demonstrated history of working in the writing and editing industry. She is a multi-niche content chef who loves cooking new things.
