not wool.
Sheep like Lottie are gentle individuals who love their families. They leap into the air with excitement when they see their flockmates and can recognize their friends’ faces even after they’ve been separated for years.
But because there’s a market for their fleece and skins, sheep like Lottie are treated as wool-producing machines. In the Australian wool industry, which produces about 80% of the world’s supply of merino wool, up to 15 million lambs die within the first 48 hours of birth annually. Sheep used for wool are often beaten, stomped on, and otherwise abused by workers. Many are victims of live-lamb cutting—known as “mulesing” in the wool industry—a cruel mutilation in which large chunks of flesh are cut from sheep’s backsides to try to keep flies from laying eggs in the folds of their skin. This is often done without any pain relief.
what to avoid
- Shearling coats or lined boots
- Sheepskin rugs or car seat covers
- Wool sweaters, scarves, and gloves
- Lanolin-based lotions or lip balms
- Wool felt hats or berets
what to buy
- Bamboo fabric: breathable and soft
- Organic cotton: comfortable and sustainably grown
- Hemp: durable and naturally antibacterial
- Linen: made from flax plants
- Polyester fleece: warm and animal-free
- Rayon: a semi-synthetic plant-based fiber
- rPET: recycled plastic turned into fabric
- Synthetic shearling: looks like wool fleece
- Tencel: made from sustainably sourced wood
- Viscose: smooth, lightweight, plant-based fiber
SHOP
When you pay for wool, you pay for suffering. Sheep are mutilated and killed for wool sweaters, scarves, hats, and mittens. Instead of choosing wool, opt for sheep-friendly materials that are warm, comfortable, and easy to find.
