Sustainability certifications for wool

Wool is a natural fiber of animal origin that comes from sheep, goats, camels, llamas and alpacas. It is biodegradable, fireproof, elastic, able to retain water and has an excellent thermal seal: considering these properties wool is perfect for making winter clothing.

However, according to Textile Exchange, wool production could cause significant damage to the environment and animal welfare if not produced in the best way. For example, over grazing of sheep on grassland can cause soil degradation and erosion.

In addition, there is a lot of concern for animal welfare with regard to husbandry procedures and shearing. In this regard, a particularly controversial practice is mulesing, a procedure widely applied in Australia, in which the skin around the buttocks of sheep is removed to prevent parasitic infections.

Animal welfare is also a relevant issue for consumers: according to a survey carried out by Fashion Revolution in 2020, 29% of respondents said that it is crucial that the purchased garments were made avoiding the abuse of animals.

How can a company make sure it buys sustainable wool?

Companies in the textile and fashion sector, to ensure that they buy wool produced responsibly, must necessarily trace the supply chain. Certifications, for example, are among the tools that a company can use to ensure greater protection of natural ecosystems and animal welfare.

Moreover, companies should commit themselves to establishing solid and long-term relationships with suppliers, with the aim of improving the quality, quantity and transparency of purchased wool. In particular, brands should cooperate with their suppliers by co-creating KPIs on biodiversity, land management and reduction of livestock waste.

There are also tools that ensure the origin of wool from farms that adopt environmentally sustainable practices and animal welfare. Among the various tools on the market, there are also specific certifications for wool with reduced impact.

In this article, quick-start, suitable for anyone interested in having an initial overview on the topic, we will analyze the main certifications for sheep's wool, namely:

• Responsible Wool Standard (RWS);
• Native precious fiber;
• SustainaWOOL;
• ZQ.

The Responsible Wool Standard certification

The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) promoted by Textile Exchange, a global non-profit organization active in promoting sustainable and responsible development of the textile sector, is a voluntary global standard that deals with the welfare of animals and the land on which they graze. It is a no mulesing certification and, for a product to be labeled RWS, it must contain 100% RWS certified wool.

RWS certification guarantees that the wool comes from responsibly managed sheep farms, demonstrating compliance with the Five Freedoms for the protection of animal welfare:

• freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition;
• freedom from environmental nuisances;
• freedom from pain, disease and injury;
• freedom from fear and stress;
• freedom to express normal behavior.

The RWS standard ensures the traceability of the entire production process from the livestock farm to the seller of the final business to business transaction since all sites must be certified.

The goals of the standard are multifaceted: to make sure the wool does not come from animals that have suffered unnecessary harm, to reward the wool industry for strong animal welfare, land management and social welfare practices, to ensure tracking along the supply chain from farm to final product and set a benchmark for the industry to drive improvements in animal care, land management and social welfare where needed.

The standard provides the industry with a tool to recognize farmers' best practices and ensure that wool comes from farms that have a progressive approach to land management and practice holistic respect for the animal welfare of sheep.

The individual sites are finally certified by independent certification bodies through annual audits.

The native precious fiber certification

NATIVA™ was launched by Chargeurs Luxury Materials, the world leader in luxury worsted wool, to ensure traceability, sustainability, animal welfare and corporate social responsibility throughout the supply chain.

In fact, the NATIVA™ Protocol certifies each step of the supply chain and guarantees:

• Animal Welfare: Every farmer has a management plan, which evaluates animal nutrition, husbandry, behavior and health, and infrastructure. Welfare is also protected through non-stressful shearing procedures for the animals;
• Territory/environment management: certified farms must be managed in a sustainable way, protecting the environment and the territory. Facilities must reduce their impact on the environment or avoid it altogether;
• Corporate Social Responsibility: Chargeurs Luxury Materials is committed to respecting, defending and applying human rights, labour, environmental and anti-corruption principles at both agricultural and industrial levels, ensuring the improvement of the socio-economic well-being of farmers and their communities.

NATIVA™ certification is based on the use of Blockchain technology, which can help ensure traceability and transparency along the entire value chain. A unique QR Code is generated for each product of each brand.

Customers can scan the QR code to view the NATIVA™ Blockchain website, where they can track the journey of their wool from farm to brand in real time.

ZQ certification

ZQ is a merino wool certification that guarantees animal welfare and compliance with environmental standards. This is a no mulesing standard.

The ZQ standard, born in New Zealand, ensures:

• Animal Welfare: Farmers who supply ZQ wool are required to take care of their livestock in accordance with the 5 fundamental freedoms for the protection of animal welfare;
• Environmental sustainability: all ZQ growers create a Territorial Environmental Plan to manage the impacts relating to their individual properties;
• Fiber quality: Poor health and stress experienced by sheep affect the quality of the final product as the diameter of the fiber can have irregular shapes. Managing livestock in an ethical and sustainable way guarantees a more uniform diameter of the fiber and, therefore, a higher quality;
• Traceability: ZQ ensures the traceability of the wool throughout the supply chain;
• Social Responsibility: ZQ promotes safe and healthy workplaces, fair wages for all workers on farms, as well as the health and well-being of the local community.

The SustainaWOOL certification

The SustainaWOOL™ Integrity Scheme protocol sets the benchmark for sustainability standards within the Australian wool production system and guarantees consumers integrity and traceability throughout the production chain. It is a no mulesing standard and, in order for a product to be labeled SustainaWOOL, it is sufficient that at least 5% of the wool is SustainaWOOL certified.

The SustainaWOOL Integrity Scheme covers 6 key pillars of wool production systems:

• Sheep Health and Welfare: SustainaWOOL sets internationally acceptable standards for sheep welfare, based on the 5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare. Growers are assessed for 23 distinct indicators of health and well-being;
• Environmental management and agricultural facilities: SustainaWOOL sets internationally acceptable standards for the management of agricultural enterprises. In particular the standards include practices for land and chemicals management and occupational health and safety;
• Records and Documentation Management: SustainaWOOL requires growers to demonstrate proficiency in record keeping related to stock management, medical and veterinary treatments, use and storage of chemicals;
• Wool quality: SustainaWOOL sets standards for the collection and packaging of wool, to minimize the risk of damage to sheep and to ensure high standards of wool quality. Only those batches of wool prepared and packaged according to the standards can be identified as SustainaWOOL certified;
• Social Responsibility: SustainaWOOL requires growers to ensure that staff are properly trained and educated and fully comply with all applicable occupational health and safety and occupational regulations;
• Traceability: SustainaWOOL requires that all sheep are securely tagged to allow for individual identification according to the national standard and are regularly monitored.

The recycled wool

The recycled option is an excellent alternative to the preferred virgin one, both because it guarantees a reduced environmental impact and because wool stands out for being an easily recyclable material. Choosing to use recycled wool, therefore, represents a way to promote this market segment, which is currently equal to 6% of the total wool production, and Italian excellence: a well-known hub for wool recycling is in fact Prato, in Italy. The textile producers of the district have perfected their craft over the years and today the Prato workforce is highly sought after.

A virtuous company in terms of recycled wool is, for example, a customer of Cikis Studio: Filpucci spa, a historic company in the Italian textile district that works through an international structure and a dense network of poles and plants specialized in the production of creative yarns for high-end knitwear (click here to take a look at the activities we have carried out together with Filpucci spa).

Since 2015 Filpucci has been working in partnership with Re-Verso, an Italian supply chain that supplies excellent quality fibers produced with a low environmental impact as they are re-engineered from selected pre-consumer waste.

Through the company's network of suppliers, Filpucci selects wool and cashmere fibers that meet two prerequisites: the mono-materiality of the product to be recycled and belonging to a 100% GRS certified production chain.

Among the certifications that can be adopted for recycled wool there are:

• GRS (Global Recycled Standard): compared to the RCS standard, GRS provides criteria for social protection in addition to environmental protection. For a product to be GRS certified, it must contain at least 20% recycled fibres. To be labeled GRS instead, it must contain at least 50%.
• RCS (Recycled Content Standard): the RCS standard provides for two types of labeling; a product can be labeled RCS 100 if at least 95% of the fibers are recycled, while it can be labeled RCS Blended if even only 5% of the fibers are recycled.

Advantages and limitations of sustainability certifications

There are several critical environmental and animal welfare issues generated by the production of wool. In order to address these problems, companies can adopt various certifications that ensure the protection of animal welfare and environmental and social aspects along the entire supply chain.

Furthermore, sustainability certifications make up for regulatory deficiencies, encourage conscious purchasing and allow for greater credibility in the eyes of customers.

Despite this, it is still good practice to know the world of certifications at 360°. You may encounter some limitations:

• The independence of the certification bodies is not always guaranteed, especially in producing countries where the level of corruption is high
• The criteria for applying the standards are not always transparent and do not allow for public scrutiny
• Each certification covers a limited number of environmental and social aspects
• The high number of certifications and standards creates confusion for consumers and companies
• Several brands adopt independently developed standards
• Compliance with the standards must be ensured by periodic audits
• Constant updating of standards is required to ensure coverage of emerging criticalities over time

To overcome some of the limitations listed above, it would be useful, for example, to have the possibility of accessing public reports that provide data on the reduction of the impact of farms that have adhered to the certification schemes, information that is difficult to find nowadays.

This important lack of information leads companies to find it difficult to recognize the most sustainable option, i.e. the one characterized by having the least impact along the supply chain.

Conclusions

Choosing the right certification for your business needs, therefore, is not simple.

For this reason Cikis supports your company in identifying and acquiring the most suitable sustainability certification for your business based on the environmental, social and animal welfare aspects that you intend to protect.