When Wool is No Longer Wool

Wool is a great fibre. Renewable. Sustainable. Regenerative. Moisture wicking. Odor resistant. Yet there is a good chance your favorite baselayer isn’t really wool. At what point is wool not wool?

So… Yes, your merino baselayer may be wool in a marketing sense, but chances are it has undergone a process to make it less itchy and resistant to felting. The process is called superwash. Wool has scales and those scales have the uncanny ability to stick to each other when agitated and wet. To remedy this “problem” textile scientists came up with a process that burns the scales off with chlorine so a coating can be applied. Officially dubbed Hercosett-125, the polymer based resin is added to chlorine treated wool fibres. This essentially makes the wool act like a synthetic (for a while). The polymer eventually degrades (micro-fibre pollution) and you are left with a weak garment prone to tearing. The whole process is also very energy intensive, chemical laden, and not environmentally friendly. No surprise a lot of superwash wool is processed in Asia.

Now, there are environmentally friendly alternatives to superwash. One being plasma (Naturetexx-Südwolle Group). Combed wool passes through a stream of plasma, which in turn softens the scales. Is it the future? I don’t know. Weakening of the fibre may occur. Another alternative is a salt or starch based treatment (EXP-Schoeller Group). This treatment has potential, but just like superwash it will wear out and degrade. The final alternative would be untreated. The most eco-friendly and longest lasting way to treat wool garments is to not treat them at all! Untreated wool retains all the benefits of the fibre, it just needs more care. Hand washing and flat drying are musts.

As pollution in the textile industry becomes more evident and conscious individuals expose bad practices, there will undoubtedly be more technological innovations. Yet, we may not need innovations. Wool is one of Nature’s finest fibres. It has been evolving over thousands of years. Did Nature get it wrong? Of course not, Nature doesn’t make mistakes. So next time you are in the market for a baselayer or merino garment of any kind, question the brand. Question the wool they use. Chances are they don’t know. Find a brand that knows and is willing to be transparent with you.

Up Next: The Wool Road: Supply Chain Sustainability

-Austin Hoefs, Founder