Common Industry Practices

Carbonizing :

Destroying vegetable matter lodged in wool using harsh acid; leaving the wool dried and unnaturally crimped. This method is used with New Zealand wool, as it tends to contain more veggie matter (5%VM).

Dipping:

Bathing sheep in chemicals to ward off pests and insects.

Bleaching:

Different chemical solutions can be applied to whiten wool during and after scouring.

Careless Shearing :

Shearers are often paid per sheep, encouraging the average shearer to hurry. This leads to small wounds on the sheep that can easily become infected.

Over-Grazing :

Crowding too many sheep onto land destroys vegetation and leads to erosion. If a field becomes barren, the grower must bring in dry feed that can add additional veggie-matter to the fleece..

The Guiding Criteria For Eco-Wool :

Our batting is made from a blend of wool from different sheep breeds. The fleeces are then cleaned and carded on a full wool card line, which produces the finest known woolen batting available.

1. Proper Grazing Methods : Adequate field rotation to decrease soil erosion and to reduce the risk of sheep acquiring internal parasites.
   
   
2. Predator Friendly : We encourage our growers to use trained sheep guardian dogs (not trapping or shooting) and the inclusion of other larger animals, such as llamas, to guard the flock.
   
3. Healthy Veterinary Practices : Only certain kinds of medications and supplements can be used to treat the sheep. We suggest alternative caring methods to keep sheep healthy with fewer chemicals.
   
4. Chemicals: Eco-Wool is free of polluntants and harmful substances. There are zero chemicals used during the wool growing and porcessing steps.

   • The sheep are not dipped or treated with any pesticides or herbicides.
   • The vegetable matter is removed through washing the wool and mechanically carding it. There are no chemicals or acids used in this process.
   • The wool fleece is washed with pure fresh water without any additives, preserving the natrual lanolin content and a skin freindly pH value of 7.5.

   
   
5. Specifications for Breed, Color, Strength and Micron-Width : Our blend uses wool from six to eight different breeds, depending on availability.
   
6. Skirting : Skirting is the process of removing less-desirable wool from the belly and back end of the sheep. This wool is separated on a skirting table and sold to other clients.