Cozy Up With Wool

By NCAT Conservation Planner Cody Brown and NCAT Senior Conservation Planner Alisha Horak

If the word ‘wool’ conjures up memories of itchy socks and the scratchy blankets your grandparents would pull out when it got cold, it’s time to modernize your view on this warm, soft, functional fiber! Wool has come a long way in recent years. The wool industry has improved processing methods to increase wool’s versatility and comfort, and consumers are loving it, driving the demand for sustainable fibers. In response, the global woolen textiles market, which was valued at 190.4 billion dollars in 2023, is expected to grow almost eight percent every year between now and 2030.

The fibers that make up your wardrobe may all make comfortable, useful clothes, but there are growing concerns about a wide range of environmental impacts these different fibers can have. Synthetic fiber’s elasticity, comfort, and cheap cost of production have made it a fierce competitor with natural fibers since the invention of nylon in the 1930s. However, synthetic textiles can lead to microplastic pollution, among other environmental costs. These concerns are starting an industry-wide shift to seek natural fiber sources with verified benefits to land and climate.

The prevalence of synthetics has led to a decline in the American wool industry and the domestic wool processing infrastructure that supported American wool in the past. This caused wool growers to have an increased dependency on volatile international wool markets. To be more profitable, wool producers and domestic wool processors can work together to serve the market of sustainability-interested consumers.

Wool isn’t just for clothes, either. The fashion industry and the fine wool producers that support them are seeing an increase in demand for fine wool (i.e., the softest types of wool with the smallest fiber diameter), but medium and coarse wool producers also have opportunities to serve the sustainable fiber market. Medium and coarse wool can be turned into carpets and insulation, replacing synthetic fibers in our homes.

The best part is, when sheep producers use managed grazing techniques, they can actually build soil health and improve the health of the landscape. NCAT has a wide variety of resources available to help farmers and ranchers produce wool in sustainable, ethical ways, so together we can rebuild the American wool market from the soil up.

Producers and consumers both win with wool. It’s a sustainable material for clothing and other products. Wool’s durability, breathability, and insulative properties make it an easy choice when prioritizing the quality of materials. With a growing demand for sustainability across the nation, NCAT aims to empower wool producers through ATTRA’s sustainable agriculture information service, cost-share incentives, conservation plans, and access to new verified fiber markets that benefit the land, producers, and consumers. 

Additional Resources: 

Climate Beneficial Fiber Project

Tips for Marketing Sheep and Goat Products: Fiber

Building the Market for Climate-Beneficial Wool

Climate Beneficial Fiber Partnership: Introduction for Producers

Voices from the Field Podcast Episode 355. Soil-to-Skin: Rebecca Burgess of Fibershed on Building Community