WOOL FACTSWOOL IN THE
CIRCULARECONOMYOver production and over consumption inthe textile and fashion industries create
unsustainable amounts of pollution.
Today the textile and fashion industries
produce between 80-150 billion garments
annually. Fast fashion results in 11kgof textiles discarded per person peryear. Less than 1% is recycled into new
products, and most recycling of textiles
goes to lower-value applications.
To change the textile industry's methodof production from a wasteful linear
model towards a sustainable circularmodel, there is a global push – ledby the European Union – to adopt acircular economy.

The circular economy is based on four
principles, highlighted by the Ellen
MacArthur Foundation:
1. Using renewable resources;
2. Designing out waste and pollution;
3. Keeping products and materials in
use for a long time; and4. Regenerating natural systems.
Wool offers a solution for brands,designers, and manufacturers looking
to shift into a circular business modeland create circular products.

Circularity in the wool supply chain
Wool is arenewable resource
Sheep can play an
integral role in maintainingecosystem health

A NATURALLYCIRCULAR FIBRE

Woolgrowers actively manage
the land for conservation

Wool is odour andstain resistant andrequires less washing
NATURAL
NATURALRESOURCESRESOURCES

Wool is durable andcan often have a lifeof up to 20-30 years

Wool biodegrades
in both water and soil

FIRST LIFE

Wool products
are repairable

LE
CYC
REREP

END
OF
END OF
LIFE
LIFE

Wool composts
into valuablesoil nutrients

BIO

DEGRA

R AND REAIEUS

The inherently circular natureof wool includes: wool being arenewable raw material grownby sheep, high levels of reuseand recycling of wool products
and biodegradability when thefibre’s nutrients are returnedto the soil for use again. This is
more than just recycling; it istrue circularity. Growing wool has
the potential to sequester large
amounts of carbon and enhancebiodiversity. Additionally, the wool
fibre doesn’t shed microplastics,
in contrast to synthetic fibres
which is a significant issue for thetextile industry.

REPA
IR

Wool is by nature a circular fibre.

DEMULTIPLE
LIVES

Wool is a natural
fibre made of50% carbon

Wool has high resale
and reuse value

Wool has an establishedcommercial recycling industry
Wool is valued in bothclosed-loop and open-loop
recycling systems

Linear model typical of synthetic textile production
FIBRE
PRODUCTION
NON-RENEWABLE

PRODUCT
DISTRIBUTION
MANUFACTURE& RETAILFAST FASHIONFAST FASHIONPRODUCT
USE PHASE

PRODUCTDISPOSALSHORT LIFELANDFILL

MICRO PLASTICSFIBRE PRODUCTION
Every year, sheep produce a new fleece, making wool a completely renewable fibre.
Wool is grown by the simple mix of sunshine, water, grass and fresh air. Wool grows on
a sheep's body because of the proteins, lipids, and minerals naturally absorbed throughtheir diet, much like how humans grow hair. Environmental factors including climate, daylength, soil type, and feed type contribute and influence the production of sheep's wool.
There is a use for every part of the wool fleece; nothing is wasted.
In contrast, synthetic fibres such as polyester are derived from non-renewable fossil
fuels, which, when extracted, de-sequester carbon stored in the earth millions of years
ago and release methane through leakage. It is estimated that polyester textile production
accounted for 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions in2015, while in 2010, global methane emissions from coal mines were estimated to beapproximately 584 million tonnes of CO2e emissions, accounting for 8% of total global
methane emissions. For more on carbon, see the Wool and the Carbon Cycle fact sheet.
Synthetic polymer fibres dominate the global fibre market, accounting for an estimated
63% of all fibres produced in 2019. It is estimated that by 2030, synthetic fibres will
represent 73% of fibre production, of which 85% will be polyester.

WOOL IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMYPRODUCT USE PHASE
Wool is kept for longer
How often clothes are worn is the most influential factor
in determining environmental impacts from clothing.
Wool garments are, on average, kept in use for longer
periods of time than garments made from otherfibre types.
Wool is washed less
Wool is odour, stain and wrinkle resistant. This meansthat consumers wash wool clothing less frequently thanclothing made from other fibres, at lower temperaturesand more often line dry than tumble dry, thereby saving
water, energy and detergent associated with laundering.
Wool has high reuse and recycle value
The wool industry is unique in having had a commercially
profitable recycling pathway for more than 200years, turning old, exhausted garments into new wool
products. Wool’s attributes are so highly valued that,even after a garment has finished its long service life withone person, the fibre is still suitable to be kept in use via
three further ways:
1st life extension – Reuse: Wool is one of themost reused fibre on the planet of the major
apparel fibres, with wool garments often

preferentially donated or sold for extended life.
According to a Nielsen wardrobe study, 50% ofwool and wool blend garments owned by survey
participants were donated to charity, family,
friends or sold.
2nd life extension – ‘Closed loop’ recycling:
This involves deconstructing high-value wool
garments to enable new yarns to be spun andnew high-value garments fabricated. Wool is themost recyclable fibre on the planet of the major
apparel fibres.
3rd life extension – ‘Open loop’ recycling: Thisis essentially ‘down cycling’, in which wool
products are pulled apart and fabricated intocheaper non-woven products for insulation,padding, interiors etc. Wool is highly valued
for these purposes because of its inherent
flame resistance, and acoustic and thermal
insulation properties.

PRODUCT DISPOSAL
Wool is a 100% biodegradable fibre in both terrestrial
and marine environments, slowly releasing valuable
nutrients and carbon back into the earth. Thisbiodegrading does not contribute to microplastic
pollution. For further information see our Wool is 100%
biodegradable fact sheet.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Global textile production doubled
from 2000-2015, as clothing use
decreased (Figure 1).
Product circularity has been
identified as a solution to fastfashion pollution. The EuropeanCommission (EC) is leading theworld in circular economy policy
and legislation. In 2020, the EC
launch the Circular Economy Action
Plan (CEAP) to transition the EU
to a circular economy. The textile
industry has been identified as apriority sector, with the Strategy
for Sustainable Textiles currently
under development as an initiativeof the CEAP.

Index 100 in 2000
World GDP
Clothing salesNumber of times an item is worn
Clothing utilisation>100bnunits(2015)

200180160140120100-50bnunits(2000)

2000

2005

2010

Figure 1: Growth of clothing sales and decline in clothing use since 2000.

2015

WOOL IN THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

SOURCES– Over production and consumption in the and fashion industries
create unsustainable amounts of pollution.
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/old-fast-fashion– Today the fashion and textile industries produce between 80150 billion garments annually.
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/whats-wrong-with-thefashion-industry#anchor-environmental-impact
https://sharecloth.com/blog/reports/apparel-overproduction– Less than 1% is recycled into new fibres for the clothing
industry, and most recycling of textiles goes to lower-value
applications.
– To change the textile industry's method of production from awasteful linear model towards a sustainable circular model,
there is a global push – led by the European Union – to adopt a
new circular economy.
European Environmental Bureau. 2021. Wardrobe Change Recommendations for the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles fromenvironmental and civil society organisations. Lauds Foundation.
– The circular economy is based on four principles, using
renewable resources, designing out waste and pollution,
keeping products and materials in use for a long time; andregenerating natural systems.
The Ellen Macarthur foundation (2013) Towards a circular economy
vol. 1 page 8– Wool is grown by the simple mix of sunshine, water, grass
and fresh air. Wool grows on a sheep's body because of theproteins, lipids, and minerals naturally absorbed through theirdiet, in much the same way humans grow hair
Reis P.J. (1988) The Influence of Absorbed Nutrients on Wool Growth.
In: Rogers G.E., Reis P.J., Ward K.A., Marshall R.C. (eds) The Biology ofWool and Hair. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-0119702-1_13– Environmental factors including climate, day length, soil type,and feed type all contribute and influence the production of
sheep's wool.
Wynn Peter (1999), The environment of Sheep, The University ofSydney, Australian Wool Education Trust -BIOL-800-050-200 accessed 05.08.21 https://www.woolwise.com/educational-resources/
crc-for-premium-quality-wool-resources/wool-biology-2/themewool-biology-wool-growth/– In contrast, synthetic fibres such as polyester are derived from
non-renewable petrochemicals and fossil fuels, which, when
extracted, de-sequester carbon stored in the earth millionsof years ago. It is estimated that polyester textile production
accounted for 700 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent(CO2e) emissions in 2015.
Kirchain, R., et al., Sustainable apparel materials (2015), p.17
– in 2010, global methane emissions from coal mines wereestimated to be approximately 584 CO2e emissions, accounting
for 8 percent of total global methane emissions.
U.S. EPA, 2011. DRAFT: Global Anthropogenic Emissions of NonCO2Greenhouse Gases: 1990–2030 (EPA 430-D-11-003),www.epa.
gov/climatechange/economics/international.html.
– Synthetic polymer fibres dominate the global fibre market,
accounting for an estimated 63% of all fibres produced in 2019.
It is estimated that by 2030, synthetic fibres will represent 73%of fibre production, of which 85% will be polyester
Truscott & Pepper (2020) Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report.
Textile Exchange

WOOLMARK.COM© February 2022 The Woolmark Company Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. GD2405– Consumers wash wool clothing less frequently than clothing
made from other fibres, at lower temperatures and more oftenline dry than tumble dry, thereby saving water, energy anddetergent associated with laundering
Laitala K, Klepp IG (2016) Wool wash: technical performance andconsumer habits. Tenside, Surfactants, Deterg 53:458–469.
https:// doi. org/ 10. 3139/ 113. 110457&;
Laitala K, Klepp I, Kettlewell R, Wiedemann S (2020) Laundry careregimes: do the practices of keeping clothes clean have different
environmental impacts based on the fibre content? Sustainability
12:7537. https:// doi. org/ 10. 3390/ su121 87537– Reuse: Wool is the one of the reused fibre on the planet of themajor apparel fibres, with wool garments often preferentially
donated or sold for extended life. According to a Nielsen
wardrobe study, 50% of wool and wool blend garments are
donated to charity, family, friends or sold
The Nielsen Company. Global Wardrobe Audit—All Countries;
Prepared for Australian Wool Innovation by The Nielsen company;
The Nielsen company: New York, NY, USA, 2012.
&;
The Nielsen Company. Global Wardrobe Audit & Laundry Diary; Areport prepared for Australian Wool Innovation Ltd.; The Nielsen
Company: Sydney, Australia, 2019; p. 173.
– ‘Closed loop’ recycling: This involves deconstructing highvalue wool garments to enable new yarns to be spun and new
high-value garments fabricatedRussell S., Swan P., Trebowicz M., Ireland A. (2016) Review of Wool
Recycling and Reuse. In: Fangueiro R., Rana S. (eds) Natural Fibres:
Advances in Science and Technology Towards Industrial Applications.
RILEM Bookseries, vol 12. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.
org/10.1007/978-94-017-7515-1_33– 'Open loop' recycling: This is essentially 'down cycling',
in which wool products are pulled apart and fabricatedinto cheaper non-woven products for insulation, padding,interiors etc
Russell S, Swan P, Trebowicz M, Ireland A (2016) Review ofwool recycling and reuse. In: Fangueiro R, Rana S (eds) Natural
Fibres: advances in science and technology towards industrial
applications: from science to market, 1st edn. Springer
Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp 415–428– Wool is a 100% biodegradable fibre in both terrestrial andmarine environments, slowly releasing valuable nutrientsand carbon back into the earth This biodegrading does notcontribute to microplastic pollution. For further information
see our Wool is 100% biodegradable fact sheet.
Collie. S, Brorens. P, Hassan. M, Fowler, I. (2021) Biodegradation
behavior of wool and other textile fibers in aerobic compostingconditions. Submitted for publication&;
Collie. S, Brorens. P, Hassan. M, Fowler, I. (2021) Marine
biodegradation behavior of wool and other textile fibers. Submittedfor publication– Since 1975, the global production of textile fibres has
almost tripledTecnon OrbiChem (2021) World Synthetic Fibres Database – Strategic
Market Overview
Euromonitor International Apparel & Footwear 2016 Edition (volumesales trends 2005–2015); World Bank, World development indicators– GD (2017)