After falling out of fashion, the wool industry is plotting a comeback. But, while wool\u2019s rebranding team points to its sustainability, traceability, and high animal welfare standards, the reality behind its production is often concealed. And it is much darker than advertised.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n As the\u00a0industry<\/a>\u00a0embraces sheep clothing, animals and the planet continue to pay the price for\u00a0fashion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wool is a protein-based fiber produced by sheep, goats, alpacas<\/a>, camels and other animals. It\u2019s one of the world\u2019s most commonly used animal fibers. Wool is incorporated into everything from socks and bedding to carpets and coats.\u00a0<\/p>\n On average, a sheep, shorn at least once a year, will produce around\u00a04.5 kg<\/a>\u00a0of wool. While in recent decades, wool has been on the decline, more than 1.2 billion sheep are still farmed each year as part of a\u00a0$35+ billion<\/a>\u00a0industry.<\/p>\n China, now the world\u2019s largest wool-producing nation, has a yearly\u00a0output<\/a>\u00a0of over 350,000 tons, followed closely by Australia with 328,000. Meanwhile, in\u00a0New Zealand\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0Britain<\/a>, a coordinated\u00a0effort\u00a0<\/a>is being made to stimulate an industry bounce-back.<\/p>\n While sheep are sheared for the sale of their wool, those in the industry say the practice also aids in\u00a0parasite prevention<\/a> and\u00a0temperature regulation<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, sheep didn\u2019t always need to be sheared. They used to produce less wool and shed it naturally. Indeed, here, evolution has had a helping hand from humans.\u00a0<\/p>\n Selective breeding throughout\u00a0thousands of years\u00a0<\/a>has created the domesticated sheep we see today who are unable to shed their coats as wild sheep would.<\/p>\n This practice of selective breeding goes hand-in-hand with artificial insemination, something which, while rarely discussed, can cause pain and suffering to both rams\u00a0and ewes.<\/p>\n For rams, electroejaculation (EE) is one of the methods used to collect their semen. It involves inserting a probe into the sheep\u2019s anus, releasing electric shocks to cause involuntary ejaculation.<\/p>\n This process is distressing for rams, with\u00a0research<\/a> showing that it can cause increased heart rate, rectal temperature, vocalizations, and elevated cortisol (the so-called \u201cstresshormone\u201d).\u00a0<\/p>\n An\u00a0alternative method<\/a>\u00a0is a transrectal ultrasound-guided massage of the accessory sex glands, which is considered \u201cless stressful\u201d for rams. Artificial vaginas (AV) and manual stimulation are also used for semen collection.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once collected, the semen is inserted into a ewe through either cervical insemination or laparoscopic insemination.<\/p>\n Cervical insemination<\/a>\u00a0involves inserting an insemination tube \u201cas deeply as possible\u201d into the cervical canal.<\/p>\n During laparoscopic insemination \u2014 used to achieve\u00a0higher pregnancy rates<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 the ewe is restrained, and a surgical procedure is performed on the abdomen, with semen inserted directly into her uterus. As noted by\u00a0Animals Australia,<\/a>\u00a0this can be conducted without pain relief.<\/p>\n However, these aren\u2019t the only stressful and painful procedures sheep experience within the industry. Alongside invasive semen collection and insemination practices, farmed sheep are also subjected to mutilation during tail docking, castration, and shearing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tail-docking \u2014 the removal of an animal\u2019s tail \u2014 is a common practice used across the farming industry, carried out on pigs, cows, and sheep.\u00a0<\/p>\n There are a number of\u00a0methods<\/a>\u00a0farmers use. They cut off the tail with a hot blade (a docking iron), use a rubber ring to cut off blood supply, causing the tail to die, decay and shed or surgical docking \u2014 removing the tail with a sharp knife.<\/p>\n Farmers carry out this procedure shortly after a sheep is born, usually without pain relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the main reasons farmers use this mutilation is the prevention of\u00a0flystrike<\/a>, which occurs when blowflies lay eggs in sheep wool. These eggs then hatch and feed on the flesh of the sheep. Sheep can die from flystrike.<\/p>\n According to animal charity\u00a0The Human League,<\/a>\u00a0the crowded, \u201cfilthy\u201d conditions of factory farms \u201ccontribute to the prevalence\u201d of this parasitic infestation.<\/p>\n Alongside causing psychological distress and physical pain in animals, tail-docking can also result in\u00a0rectal<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0vaginal prolapse<\/a>,\u00a0bacterial arthritis and skin cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mulesing, also known as live lamb cutting, is a practice Australian farmers use to prevent flystrike on Merino sheep, which are bred for excessive skin growth and higher wool production.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here, farmers cut slices of skin from the sheep\u2019s rear, creating smooth scar tissue that is less attractive to blowflies. This is often done without anesthetic or pain relief and doesn\u2019t prevent flystrike\u00a0elsewhere<\/a>\u00a0on the sheep\u2019s body.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the global animal welfare organization Four Paws, Australia produces roughly\u00a080 percent of fine merino wool<\/a>\u00a0used by the global apparel market. And over\u00a080 percent<\/a>\u00a0of Australian wool is still sourced from sheep subjected to this practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the rest of the world has\u00a0banned mulesing<\/a>, Australia continues to allow the practice.<\/p>\n Unlike mulesing, castration remains legal and widely practiced across the wool industry. Rams are subjected to this procedure shortly after birth, often without any form of pain relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n Methods<\/a>\u00a0vary, but all are invasive and painful. One involves cutting open the lamb\u2019s scrotum and physically pulling out the testes. Another uses a tight rubber ring to restrict blood flow, causing the testicles to eventually drop off.<\/p>\n A third method, known as bloodless emasculation, crushes the spermatic cords with a special tool.\u00a0<\/p>\n Though these practices are justified by farmers as necessary for flock management or to reduce aggressive behavior, the procedures cause acute pain and distress to the animals, raising serious animal welfare concerns.<\/p>\n Shearing, often perceived as a natural part of a sheep\u2019s life, involves rough handling and restraint, which can be a highly stressful experience for the animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shearing can also injure both sheep and shearer. This is partly due to shearing\u2019s\u00a0per-sheep pay structure,<\/a>\u00a0which incentivizes quick work.\u00a0Sheep are also often\u00a0deprived of food and water<\/a>\u00a0before shearing to make them more docile.\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the years, several investigations have uncovered\u00a0abuse<\/a>\u00a0on sheep farms.\u00a0An investigation<\/a>\u00a0by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA<\/a>) collected video evidence of shearers punching, stamping on and kicking sheep.<\/p>\n According to Peta, this cruelty was witnessed at \u201cevery one of the 25 English farming sheds visited by two shearing contractors.\u201d<\/p>\n Once sheep are no longer considered profitable \u2014 due to a decline in the quality of the wool they produce \u2014 they\u2019re sent to slaughter for their meat, making wool a co-product of the meat industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n On their way to\u00a0slaughter,<\/a>\u00a0sheep can endure\u00a0long journeys<\/a>\u00a0in cramped and hot conditions. Once a sheep has reached his destination, he is either shorn before death or has his wool removed after being killed. This wool is known as \u201cpulled wool.\u201d<\/p>\n However, this isn\u2019t the only way that sheep die. According to\u00a0Animal Aid<\/a>, around one in five newborn lambs and one in 20 adult sheep die as a result of exposure to extreme weather, malnutrition\u00a0and disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sitting alongside the industry\u2019s poor treatment of animals is worker exploitation and trauma. Low pay, unsafe working conditions, and psychological distress exist across the supply chain, impacting everyone from\u00a0herders\u00a0<\/a>and shearers to abattoir workers.\u00a0<\/p>\n There have been\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0of workers being paid with drugs, poor physical conditions, and high levels of woolshed injuries \u2014 and this is just shearers.\u00a0<\/p>\n The physical and psychological toll of working in a\u00a0slaughterhouse can leave abattoir workers \u2014 often those from lower socio-economic backgrounds and migrants \u2014 battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)<\/a>. While on live export ships, crews have been subjected to\u00a0safety\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0health<\/a>\u00a0risks.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, accounts gathered by\u00a0Collective Fashion Justice<\/a>\u00a0show that this distress penetrates the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n The non-profit details one former dairy, cattle and sheep farmer recalling \u201chorrifying\u201d experiences as a farmer. Another woman, previously involved in wool production, recounted her struggle \u201cwith a sense that what was happening to the sheep around her was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to its grave animal welfare implications, wool production also harms\u00a0the planet.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n In fact, from sky-high\u00a0emissions<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0pollution<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0land clearing<\/a>\u00a0and water use, research shows that wool is not the sustainable material consumers have been led to believe.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to\u00a0a report<\/a>\u00a0by the Center for Biological Diversity and Collective Fashion Justice\u2019s CIRCUMFAUNA Initiative, small ruminants, like sheep, are responsible for as many CO2 emissions a year as 103 million cars.<\/p>\n After cows, sheep also come in at\u00a0second place<\/a>\u00a0for methane production. They belch and fart around 30 liters of the stuff a day.<\/p>\n And while wool is considered more \u2018natural\u2019\u00a0than other fibers, it often undergoes processes that impact its biodegradability<\/a>, including dyeing. It is also increasingly blended with synthetics, according to the CIRCUMFAUNA Initiative\u2019s report.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to mention the environmental implications of\u00a0wool scouring<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0sheep dip,<\/a>\u00a0a highly toxic chemical solution used to prevent parasites in animals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alongside animal welfare and\u00a0human health<\/a>\u00a0implications, sheep dip chemicals can also contaminate soil and water, with\u00a0animal faecal matter<\/a>\u00a0also contributing to this pollution.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Although harmful and unsustainable practices and processes within the industry are slowly coming to light, the path towards progress has been bumpy.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2004, the Australian wool industry pledged to phase out mulesing by 2010. By 2009, the industry had U-turned, and the practice is still ongoing.\u00a0<\/p>\n In\u00a0March,<\/a>\u00a0Four Paws announced that 100 fashion brands \u2014 including Zara, Patagonia and Adidas \u2014 had signed a Brand Letter of Intent to cut live lamb wool from their supply chains in a move aimed at applying pressure on the industry to change.\u00a0<\/p>\n Four Paws, Humane Society International Australia, and the Australian Animal Alliance also call for the government to step in.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, even when standards and certifications are in place, there are still animal welfare violations.<\/p>\n Back in January, an\u00a0investigation<\/a>\u00a0by PETA found that ZQ-certified wool farms in New Zealand were abusing animals. Meanwhile, last year, an investigation by the\u00a0Animal Justice Project<\/a>\u00a0found that RSPCA-assured farms were subjecting animals to abuse.\u00a0<\/p>\n That said, there has been some legislative progress for sheep welfare. Last year, the\u00a0UK<\/a>\u00a0introduced legislation banning\u00a0the export of live animals, including cattle, sheep, and pigs, for \u201cslaughter and fattening\u201d\u00a0from Great Britain.<\/p>\n Legislation has also been passed in\u00a0Australia<\/a>\u00a0to end live sheep exports by sea by 1 May 2028.<\/p>\n On the sustainability front, in recent years, terms like\u00a0\u201cregenerative wool<\/a>\u201c, \u201cnet-zero carbon wool,\u201d\u00a0and \u201cnaturally carbon negative\u201d\u00a0wool have cropped up.\u00a0<\/p>\n While at first glance, this could signal a shift towards better practices, these words lack a clear scientific definition, are at the heart of\u00a0greenwashing<\/a>\u00a0allegations<\/a>, and contradict commercial sheep farming practices.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, farmers are trialing\u00a0selective breeding programs<\/a>\u00a0to produce sheep that emit lower methane emissions and feed additives for methane mitigation, while researchers are testing methane-blocking vaccines.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, these approaches, dubbed \u2018techno-fixes\u2019 by\u00a0some,<\/a>\u00a0are either not yet\u00a0proven at scale<\/a>\u00a0or are still in the\u00a0research stages.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n With the rise of the conscious consumer increasing demand for new materials, in recent decades, innovation has exploded.\u00a0<\/p>\n Materials like Fibe\u2019s\u00a0potato yarn made<\/a>\u00a0from harvest waste,\u00a0Woocoa\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0hemp and coconut fiber,\u00a0KD New York\u2019s vegetable cashmer<\/a>e, and\u00a0smartfiber\u2019s seaweed cellulose<\/a>\u00a0fiber stand out as more sustainable, ethical and vegan alternatives.<\/p>\n Other materials, which have historically had a poor environmental record, are becoming more sustainable and ethical, too, such as organic cotton.\u00a0<\/p>\n With a lower\u00a0environmental impact<\/a>\u00a0than conventional cotton, organic cotton uses 91 percent less blue water and 46 percent lower global warming potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n And when it comes to traceability, technology for enhanced supply chain transparency is also making progress. FibreTrace is one of these solutions. According to its\u00a0website,<\/a>\u00a0this textile verification technology embeds traceable IDs into raw fibers.\u00a0<\/p>\nThe where, what and how of wool production<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Artificial insemination<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tail docking<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mulesing in Australia<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Castration: routine and painful<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Rough handling and abuse during shearing<\/strong><\/h2>\n
From farm to slaughter: The end of a sheep\u2019s life<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.theanimalreader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wool-industry-2-1024x703.jpg\")
Worker exploitation and trauma<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Wool\u2019s environmental price tag<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Is progress being made?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.theanimalreader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/wool-industry-1-1024x703.jpg\")
Sheep welfare<\/strong><\/h2>\n
What are the alternatives to wool?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n