A Guide to Kind Knitting
Ethical wool yarn and alternatives for animal-friendly knitting
Did you know that there are also animal welfare problems with the production of wool?
One of the biggest problems is the so-called mulesing in merino sheep. In mulesing, lambs are usually cut off large strips of skin on their buttocks without anaesthetic. This cruel procedure is only practiced in Australia.
Mulesing is done to prevent from possible fly attacks by removing excessive skin folds where flies like to lay eggs into.
What can I do?
There are two questions you should ask yourself.
Could this yarn be made from alternative materials?
If so, you will find a list of common alternative materials in the guide.
Does it have to be merino wool?
If yes, you should consider the following to ensure that your purchase does not support animal suffering:
Find out about knitting wool brands and retailers. If your favorite brands or retailers publicly oppose mulesing and the wool has one of the following labels, then you can be sure that your wool is mulesed-free:
BEST AVAILABLE CERTIFICATIONS – WOOL
- Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)
- NATIVA
- ZQ Merino
For organic wool certifications, only the Organic Content Standard (OCS) currently reliably excludes mulesed wool. Therefore, we recommend the use of only organic wool which has also been certified to one of the above best available certifications.
ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS
These materials are not of animal origin and are therefore automatically free of animal suffering. Attention: synthetic fibres are often mixed with natural fibres (of animal or vegetable origin).
Bamboo
can be pro-cessed into viscose fibres or environmentally friendly Monocel. The material is:
- like a mixture of silk and cashmere
- light
- durable
- insulating
- resistant to odours
Cotton
is the best-known alternative to wool and accounts for about a third of the world’s fibre production. Organic cotton produces 70% less CO2than conventional cotton. The material is:
- soft
- sensitive to skin
- wrinkle-free
- absorbent
Hemp
grows fast and comes without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilisers. The material is:
- fully compostable
- durable
- sensitive to skin
- antimicrobial
Linen
is obtained from the stems of the flax plant. Cultivation and processing are particularly environmentally friendly. The material is:
- tear resistant
- cooling
- quick drying
- anti-allergenic
Lyocell or Tencel
is a cellulose fibre made from sustainable forestry. The material is:
- made from eucalyptus wood
- easily recyclable
- soft
- insulating
Modal
is a viscose fibre that is primarily obtained from the wood pulp of sustainably grown beech. The material is:
- soft and smooth
- easily recyclable
- 50% more absorbent than cotton
- quick drying
The animal suffering behind mohair, alpaca, cashmere or angora wool
Mohair, alpaca, cashmere or angora wool are often used in knitting. Unfortunately, there are major animal welfare concerns also associated with these materials. Cashmere goats, angora goats (mohair) and alpacas suffer during the collection of these materials, often due to the lack of animal welfare guidelines in the producing countries.
The main issues regarding animal welfare are:
- Stress, panic and injuries during shearing, with alpaca especially suffering with stress when restrained
- In some cases, wool is forcibly removed from the animals such as cashmere goats where the fine under hair is painfully torn out with metal combs
- Outdoor husbandry is often insufficient with a lack of protection from strong winds and other weather conditions, and an inadequate provision of food and care
- There is often a lack of medical treatment following the shearing process and in the case of Angora rabbits, they often suffer from harmful infections, particularly of the eyes as result of unchecked breeding and poor cage keeping
There is no animal-friendly production of angora wool. Therefore, FOUR PAWS strongly reject its use and purchase.
When buying cashmere, mohair or alpaca-based wool make sure to select products certified by the Good Cashmere Standard (GCS), the Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS), or the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) or even better seek sustainable alternatives.
You can download our complete knitting wool guide here:
'Knitting Kind' - a FOUR PAWS guide
An animal-friendly knitting experience. Find out more about the yarn brand/supplier here!