Greetings, friends!

Wow – the end of the year is rapidly approaching and I, for one, am not quite ready! Anyone else? 

After my deep dive into cashmere a couple of weeks ago, I started thinking about wool – the sheep! Are they safe? Sustainable? Before I did a tailspin into questioning all my biodegradable approaches to fashion, I wanted to understand the facts. 

Pros of wool

• A breathable, natural insulator 

• Helps regulate body temperature

• Biodegradable (unless coated in plastic)

Cons of wool

• Animals (sheep and alpaca) are often treated inhumanely

• Animals produce an extraordinary amount of greenhouse gases

• Animals are a larger user of land resources than other materials (like cotton)

To buy wool or not to buy wool, that is the question. 

This is a tough one because, from an environmental and animal welfare standpoint, there are opportunities to improve the conditions for how animals are treated and farmlands are used. However, without regulation, these measures are hard to implement. And from a long-term standpoint, the biodegradable component of wool is positive when compared to materials like Tencel. 

Wear your values.

My advice is to choose what is most important to you – planet, people, animals – and then be thoughtful in how you consume the products that don’t align as clearly with your values. That might mean owning wool pieces made by brands that seem to be addressing animal welfare issues if the environment (e.g. biodegradable clothes) is your biggest concern. Or it might mean choosing Tencel or other plant-based products if greenhouse gases and animal welfare are issues that you what to address.

This information and more courtesy of goodonyou.eco

Thoughtful consumption is sometimes the best we can do – using our money as a vote for change. And a reminder to vote if you’re in the USA!

Until next week,

Kevin