Merino wool is increasingly positioned as a natural alternative to other performance base layer fabrics, virtually all of which are petroleum based.

Adams works closely with his entire supply chain, utilizing an auditable computerized tracking system that tracks the chain of custody from farm to processing to spinning to fabric production.

i-merino

On the Farm, Down Under

the profile of merino wool in the outdoor industry has risen dramatically in recent years, and with good reason. Merino is the only wool soft enough to be worn next to the skin, and it has excellent moisture and temperature management characteristics. It is increasingly positioned as a natural alternative to other performance base layer fabrics, virtually all of which are petroleum based.

“We claim we offer the most sustainable performance fiber in the world,” says Stuart Adams, an Australian farmer and owner of the company i-merino. “And we’re working on certification to back up that claim.”

Adams envisions a merino fabric that is not only certified organic, but certified sustainable. i-merino currently carries the European Union’s “Ecolabel”. The Ecolabel mandates restricted use of harmful chemicals and reduced water pollution throughout the product supply chain. Strict reporting is required. Adams regards the Ecolabel designation as the beginning of a process that will culminate in a completely sustainable merino fabric.

“Ecolabel certification covers the raw sourcing of the fiber, the actual scouring, spinning, dying, and finishing,” Adams says. “This means we comply with most organic standards in terms of the processing of the fiber. The sourcing is where organic certification departs from Ecolabel certification. To be certified organic, the fiber must be grown in accordance to organic standards. The wool being used by i-merino is actually residue-free, but the farming does not comply to all of the organic standards. We feel that these farming standards are important, and we’re moving in that direction. But with wool, it’s the processing—the chemical use and the effluent—that’s considered to be the biggest environmental issue.”

Adams’ aim is to broaden the agenda, and in conjunction with the National Association of Sustainable Agriculture in Australia, to develop a certification that encompasses issues of sustainability and biodiversity. His objective is not only to continue to move his own operation in the direction of sustainability, but in the bigger picture, to influence the adoption of  higher standards for all of  Australia’s 36,000 wool growers, and ultimately growers from around the world.

“We’re trying to determine what’s best for the merino industry, and I believe we’re on the right track. We’re working within established systems, and trying to learn everything we can from other environmental management systems. It’s not our intention to set up something which is in opposition to organic standards, but we feel there are other elements that have to be included. We’re working to establish a complete supply chain approach to environmental certification. So we’re going to be working with the organic program, using many of the principles, but without compromising the organic process or program or image.”

Adams works closely with his entire supply chain, utilizing an auditable computerized tracking system that tracks the chain of custody from farm to processing to spinning to fabric production. This system also captures environmental declarations and measurements required for compliance with the EU Ecolabel. Retailers will be able to access detailed information about their orders using the online tracking system.

As many a farmer has discovered, the road to organic certification can require a significant investment, and the payoff is far from immediate.

“A lot of people don’t understand that when a farmer goes from conventional farming toward organic, the farmer incurs many additional costs but isn’t paid anything additional during the three year transition period required for certification. It’s a difficult transition. It’s our intention to move the farmer down that path, and also to give the farmer an opportunity to recover his cost. We need to insure that a fair price is being paid to each member of the production chain.”

For Adams, “sustainability” means more than managing chemical, material, and energy inputs and outputs. It also includes maintaining his 4,000 acres in a state of ecological equilibrium. His piece of the Australian landscape feels vibrant and alive.

“Biodiversity is undermined by the monocultures of modern agribusiness,” Adams explains. “When managed properly, merino fits within a holistic management solution for mixed farming. Sheep are very good at maintaining control over weeds for cropping, and they are also very useful at breaking down crop stubbles. Crops are very good at freshening up pastures for the sheep. The sheep actually help maintain the natural flora and fauna, and improve biodiversity. What we’re actually doing is managing the biodiversity on our farm. It’s a more holistic approach to fiber production.”

(i-merino can supply everything from merino wool fiber, yarn, and fabric to finished products. For more information, visit them at booth #2386, or go to www.izwool.com. North American Director Anne Gillespie can be reached by phone at 604/732-7514, or by e-mail at annegil@telus.net. Stuart Adams can be reached by e-mail at stuart@izwool.com.)

Merino Facts

Australia has an optimum climate for wool production—dry in the summer and temperate in the winter. Australian woolgrowers for the past two hundred years have refined the fine wool merino sheep to produce soft, durable wool suitable for a variety of applications, including rugged outdoor apparel. The wool from the shearing of one merino sheep will make approximately five sweaters. u Australia grows 90 percent of the world’s merino, and 28 percent of all wool. Wool accounts for two percent of the world apparel market.

Characteristics of Merino Wool

Merino wool is both breathable and absorbent, is comfortable next to the skin, and functions well as either a base layer or as an outer layer. The natural crimp of merino wool fibers promotes entrapment of air between the wool fibers, acting as an insulator against both hot and cold temperatures. This “fiber crimp” aids in the construction of technical performance fabrics that exhibit exceptional “condition buffering” abilities. Each fiber can absorb up to one third of its own weight in moisture without feeling clammy or wet to the touch. Merino wool can absorb and release considerably more moisture than synthetics. It is also naturally flame retardant. Due to wool’s inability to host odor producing bacteria, wool fabrics are not susceptible to odors commonly associated with base layer clothing.

Most “layering systems” available in the outdoor industry are made from fossil fuel-derived polyester. Merino wool offers a natural alternative that is durable, annually renewable, recyclable, and biodegradable.

What is “Mulesing”?

You may have seen PETA’s current campaign against the practice of “mulesing”, a procedure used by sheep farmers to prevent “flystrike”.

“The purpose of the procedure is to prevent urine and dung stains on the back side of the sheep,” explains Stewart. “The blowfly lays larvae in the dung stains. The larvae hatch into maggots, and the maggots will eat the sheep alive. The objection is that it’s essentially a surgical procedure performed without anesthetic.”

The most prevalent cause of flystrike in Australia is the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina. Mulesing creates a wool-free breech area with few skin folds. The Australian Veterinary Association and the RSPCA accept the practice of mulesing as a necessary sheep husbandry procedure to prevent flystrike. Non-surgical alternatives are being explored, including the use of a naturally-occurring protein that is injected just under the skin. The protein disrupts the normal operation of the wool follicle within the skin and after a few days the wool simply falls out permanently. Currently, the vast majority of merino wool growers across the world use the procedure.

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