We think where wool comes from is as important as what it does

We get a lot of questions about the eco-friendliness and sustainability of our wool. Unlike petroleum-based synthetics, wool is an obviously natural choice – but it goes deeper than that. We want the best wool for our mattresses, pillows and bedding and we’re concerned about the ethical treatment of the animals involved.

New Zealand Wool
We purchase all of our wool from New Zealand because we’ve done our research and feel the happiest, healthiest sheep live there. It’s a big country with lots of wide open spaces and farmers there can graze their sheep all year long instead of penning them. The sheep are brought in every 6 months for shearing and released again – and all shearing is done by hand.

Sheep shearing is a concern of many companies that carry wool products. American Eagle Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, Timberland, Aéropostale all have official policies regarding the shearing practices of the farmers they buy from. So do we.

We only work with farmers who shear manually (not chemically) and the sheep may not be slaughtered for meat afterward. Sheep live anywhere from 8 to 15 years, and the farmers we work with are invested in keeping their sheep healthy.

Slipe wool, which is available from second and third world countries, is wool that’s been chemically removed with no concern for the health or safety of the animal – which is often killed at the time of shearing. Obviously some lambs are bred for meat, but Natura does not purchase wool from farmers who engage in this type of breeding practice.

We also steer very far clear of Merino wool because of a shearing practice known as mulesing. It’s considered controversial at best and inhumane and cruel at worst. Mulesing involves shearing a layer of skin from the rump to eliminate a parasite that targets Merino sheep. Instead, we use wool from Romney sheep, which have coarser wool and are not susceptible to the same parasites.

We believe wool is nature’s miracle fiber and we’re happy to support farmers and suppliers who invest in ethical husbandry.

Did you know Liz Claiborne banned the use of Australian Merion wool in response to PETA’s opposition to mulesing in 2008? The Australian Wool Innovation has pledged to phase out mulesing by 2010.