400 International Fashion Brands Publicly Oppose Mulesing
The controversial practice of mulesing involves slicing off strips of flesh from lambs’ rear ends, often without pain relief.
400 leading fashion brands have publicly denounced mulesing in the wool industry, according to the animal welfare organization Four Paws, aligning with the increasing consumer demand for cruelty-free materials.
Selective breeding of Merino sheep for higher wool production has led to the development of skin wrinkles, making the animals more vulnerable to flystrike. To counter this, the controversial practice of mulesing is performed, which involves slicing off strips of flesh from lambs’ rear ends, often without pain relief. Animal welfare groups strongly condemn the practice, arguing that animals endure excruciating pain, shock, and trauma when being cut.
Australia is the only country where mulesing is still practiced, and it is the source of 80 percent of the global fashion market's Merino wool supply.
Four Paws has also released an open letter, signed by major brands including Hugo Boss, H&M, Esprit, and Adidas, directly calling on the Australian wool industry to shift away from any type of mulesing. Brands who sign the letter do not want mulesed wool and they are either already certified mulesing-free or intend to be by 2030, according to the nonprofit.
“Together with global fashion brands and consumers, we call upon global wool supply chains to go mulesing-free and support producers to transition towards flystrike-resistant sheep by 2030,” said Rebecca Picallo Gil, Head of the End Mulesing Campaign at Four Paws.
Credit: Four Paws
Cruelty Behind Animal-Based Wool
While the fur industry has faced severe criticism from both brands and consumers for its widespread animal abuse, the wool industry has largely escaped similar public scrutiny.
Investigations into 117 global wool operations have exposed the mistreatment of sheep, revealing that even on so-called "sustainable" and "responsible" farms, workers engage in acts of cruelty such as beating, stomping, cutting, and slitting the throats of conscious and struggling sheep. All sheep bred for their wool ultimately meet the same fate – they are slaughtered and sold as meat once their wool is no longer financially viable.
Despite the perception of wool as a 'natural' and eco-friendly material, the reality is that wool, being part of the animal agriculture industry, contributes significantly to environmental problems, including the production of substantial amounts of methane, soil erosion, and waterway contamination. In 2017, wool was ranked as the fourth most environmentally damaging material in the Pulse Report by the Global Fashion Agenda.
Solutions for Change
Credit: Tencel
As consumer demand for ethical and environmentally responsible fashion materials continues to rise, animal-free biomaterials that outperform traditional options like leather, silk, wool, down, fur, and exotic skins are gaining popularity. Between 2015 and 2022, around $2.3 billion has been invested in this field, as reported by the nonprofit organization Material Innovation Initiative.
Examples of existing alternatives to wool include Altag, a natural material crafted from recycled agricultural waste that can be tailored to mimic traditional animal-based wool, and Wegenwool, a plant-derived material composed of 30 percent calotropis fibers and 70 percent organic cotton.
Another wool alternative that is gaining traction in the home goods and fashion worlds is lyocell, notably the brand Tencel, which is made from wood pulp and is the most eco-friendly type of rayon. SeaCell is a fabric made using a similar process to lyocell but it uses cellulose derived from seaweed rather than wood pulp. Vegetable Cashmere is an innovative soy-based cashmere alternative created by KD New York that mimics the soft silky feel of animal cashmere and will hopefully be a game changer in terms of sustainable fashion in the years to come.
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