Now that Autumn’s here and the cooler weather has us reaching for extra layers of clothing, it got us thinking about more ethical alternatives to traditional ‘woollies’.

It’s a common misconception that wool is a cruelty-free product, the reality can be immense suffering in the industry.

In the UK, a lot of wool comes from lambs who have already been slaughtered for their meat, these animals will have suffered from welfare issues that could include mutilations and lameness. Other wool comes from breeding ewes who will be killed for cheap meat once their fertility has dropped.

Shearing itself has welfare issues. As animals who are easily frightened and don’t like being handled, sheep are put under considerable stress when they are restrained for removal of their wool. The process can be rushed, which makes injuries more likely.

Wools with major animal welfare issues

Merino

80% of Merino wool used in the global clothing industry, is produced in Australia. Lambs reared for this fine wool are susceptible to ‘blowfly’ infestation where the flies lay their eggs in the wrinkles in the rear quadrant of the animal. Producers use a method called ‘mulesing’, which they believe prevents flies from attacking. The skin around the lambs’ buttocks is cut off, usually without the use of anaesthesia or pain relief. It’s used as a quick and cheap way to prevent flystrike but causes excruciating pain, shock, and trauma to the animals.

Angora

Angora rabbits are mostly industrially farmed across China where 90% of the product comes from. The rabbits are intentionally bred to have very long, soft, silky wool which is sheared, combed, or plucked from them every three to four months. Ingestion of hair makes the rabbits susceptible to severe intestinal problems and the abundance of it puts the animals at risk from severe heat stress.

The process by which the ‘wool’ is collected from angora rabbits causes immense suffering and trauma. As well as being sheared, the animals can have their fur combed or ‘plucked’ by hand, with no pain relief provided.

Once they begin to produce less wool and are deemed no longer profitable, they will be slaughtered for their meat.

Cashmere

Most cashmere wool sold in the UK comes from China, Mongolia, Iran, and Afghanistan, where many of the goats’ basic needs can be neglected. The animals, including pregnant goats, repeatedly suffer from painful and stressful ‘shearing’ which involves their legs being tied together before their undercoat is removed with a sharp comb. This process often results in the goats’ skin being pierced, causing pain and infection, and often leaves them without insulation over winter months.

Once production drops, they will endure horrific methods of slaughter.

Read more on the wool industry

Compassionate clothing

Thankfully there are lots of sustainable vegan knitwear options available. They can simply be made from cotton, (preferably the organic variety), or hemp is another great choice as it’s the least water-intensive material of all natural fibres and doesn't require pesticides or herbicides.

There are various up-and-coming vegan knitwear fabrics becoming more available, such as vegan cashmere. Tencel is another sustainable knitwear option which is made from wood pulp cellulose using technology that minimises waste by re-using the water and chemicals used in the process.

Vegan knitwear can also be made from recycled synthetics, these are increasingly being used as replacements for wool and can be considered a sustainable choice for ethical knitwear. Recycling isn't completely free from environmental impact, but it is a good way to prolong the lifespan of existing synthetic materials and offer a sustainable knitwear option that is free from animal cruelty.

There's been a sharp rise in popularity in vegan products in recent years, this has resulted in clothing shops offering more in this category, and an increase in vegan retailers. (Just Google 'vegan sweaters' to see what we mean!)

Below are a few vegan retailers who are popular with the OneKind team, we do also recommend checking out charity and vintage shops for vegan knitwear. Buying second-hand helps reduce consumption and is a lot lighter on the purse!

More fashion resources here