Wool

Animal fibres used in textiles cover a wide variety of materials with diverse characteristics and uses: wool, mohair (Angora goat), cashmere (cashmere goat) and alpaca.

Strictly speaking, wool refers to the fibre from sheep (Ovis aries) and includes, in particular, merino wool, crossbred wool and lambswool. Among these, merino wool now holds a prominent place in the apparel textile industry thanks to the fineness of its fibres, which gives it a much-appreciated softness.

This factsheet therefore focuses on merino wool, whose challenges differ from those of other types of wool and animal fibres

.

• Type of fibre: Natural animal fibre from the fleece of Merino sheep. It produces a fine wool mainly intended for clothing.
• Global wool production: 1.98 million tonnes of raw wool (unwashed greasy wool), equivalent to 1 million metric tonnes of clean wool fibre in 2024. These data compile production across all types of wool. They represent only 0.9% of the global fibre market. 1
• Main merino wool-producing countries: Australia (80% of global production and 90% of the global supply of fine wool intended for high-end apparel) ) 2, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay and New Zealand.

• Share of recycled material: Recycled wool represented 7% of all wool placed on the market in 2024. 3
• Share of certified material: Conventional wool (non-recycled) represented 96% of wool placed on the market worldwide (1.89 million tonnes), while the share of certified wool, produced in accordance with Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, ZQ Regenerative Index (ZQRX), SustainaWOOL Green, Sustainablue, SustainaWOOL Gold, Sustainable Cape Wool (CWS) and Climate Beneficial Verified standards, was 4.3% (0.09 million tonnes) 4. Among these certified wools, RWS and its equivalents represented around 82% of this market share in 2024, i.e. 3.6% of the global greasy wool market.

Merino wool is a natural and renewable fibre produced by merino sheep. It is recognised for the fineness of its fibres, which is its main quality criterion. This is generally characterised by fibre diameter, expressed in microns (µm), with different categories such as superfine (< 17.5 µm), fine (17.5 to 19 µm) and medium (19 to 22 µm). This fineness gives it softness and comfort, which are particularly valued for clothing.

Merino wool also has thermoregulating properties. Its fibres can absorb up to around 30% of their weight in water vapour without feeling damp and trap air within their structure, thereby helping to maintain a stable body temperature in both cold and warm weather 5.

The presence of keratin in the fibres also limits the development of bad odours, making it possible to wash merino garments less frequently than many other textile materials.

Although wool represents only around 1% of global textile fibre production, merino wool holds a strategic position in the premium, outdoor and luxury segments thanks to its technical performance and its image as a high-quality natural fibre.

Stages of the production process

The transformation of wool into clothing is an industrial and highly internationalised process, consisting of several successive stages that may be carried out in different countries, aimed at preserving and then enhancing the fibre’s natural properties.

Production diagram 13

Environmental issues related to production

The wool sector is also characterised by the strong internationalisation of its value chain. Raw wool production is mainly concentrated in Australia, China and New Zealand, while a significant share of processing operations (washing, combing, spinning and garment manufacturing) is carried out in China.

Some regions nevertheless retain historical specialisations, such as Biella in Italy for high-end worsted fabrics. This geographical organisation significantly influences the fibre’s environmental profile, with the associated impacts depending in particular on farming systems, production practices, industrial performance and the energy mixes used during processing stages. Thus, beyond transport distances alone, the location of the different stages of the value chain is an important factor in the environmental assessment of wool.

1. Durability

Wool is a fibre recognised for its longevity. Although its environmental impact can be significant at the production stage, this analysis should be put into perspective in relation to its long lifespan. 16.

1. A longer lifespan 

Indeed, wool garments generally have a longer lifespan than those made from other textile fibres 17 . For example, the average lifespan of wool garments is considered to be 50% longer than that of cotton garments, because they are worn for longer, replaced less frequently and are more often reused or recycled at end of use.

2. Fewer washes 

This longevity helps spread the environmental impacts of their manufacture over a greater number of uses. In addition, wool’s natural properties, particularly its resistance to odours, stains and creasing, allow washes to be spaced out and reduce care requirements, thereby reducing water, energy and detergent consumption throughout the product’s life cycle.

3. Good abrasion resistance

Wool also has good abrasion resistance thanks to its naturally robust structure. Its fibre is composed of keratin, a highly resistant protein, and protected on the surface by fine scales that limit damage caused by friction. Combined with its ability to deform and then return to its original shape, wool retains its mechanical properties and appearance well over time. However, it can be sensitive to felting, a phenomenon caused by the combined action of moisture, heat and friction, which leads to irreversible tightening of the fibres. This sensitivity requires appropriate care conditions, although modern treatments (machine-washable wool, anti-felting treatments) now make it possible to greatly reduce this risk for many products.

2. Recyclability

Wool has the advantage of being an identifiable fibre that is highly valued in the recycling industry. With historically well-established recycling value chains, wool is part of a circular economy approach. The main recycling hubs include Prato in Italy, specialised in the recycling of high-value-added post-consumer textiles; Panipat in India, more focused on processing large volumes for more standard products; and several industrial value chains in China, mainly centred on the reuse of post-production textile waste 18.

Long fibres 

Thanks to its long fibres, wool can easily be mechanically recycled without using complex chemical processes. Used garments and textile offcuts are sorted, defibred and then reintroduced into the manufacture of new yarns, fabrics or knitted textiles. This recyclability, combined with reuse and repair, can considerably extend the lifespan of wool fibre. A wool fibre can thus go through several successive use cycles and reach a cumulative lifespan of 20 to 30 years 19. However, shredding gradually shortens the fibres. They are then blended with other fibres, natural or synthetic, in order to preserve the mechanical properties of the yarns, or directed towards other applications such as insulation materials.

Recycled wool represented around 7% of the total global wool market in 2024 20, a relatively high share compared with other textile fibres. Its recycling helps limit the consumption of virgin raw materials and reduce the amount of textile waste generated 21.

3. Incorporation of recycled material

Recycled wool is now an increasingly used secondary raw material in the textile industry. Incorporating it into new products makes it possible to recover textile waste while reducing the consumption of virgin fibres. In recent years, progress in mechanical defibering (shredding) and spinning operations has significantly improved the quality of recycled fibres. New-generation equipment makes it possible in particular to better preserve fibre length and integrity during defibering, thereby limiting the degradation traditionally associated with mechanical recycling.

At the same time, innovations in spinning processes make it easier to produce more regular, stronger yarns suited to demanding textile applications. These advances have broadened the outlets for recycled wool and increased its incorporation rate in higher-value-added products. Depending on the desired technical, aesthetic or durability performance, recycled wool can be used on its own or blended with other fibres, thereby contributing to the development of circular production models.

.

There are several labels and certifications for this material; here are those eligible for Refashion’s “Environmental Labels” eco-modulation.

Eco-modulations: Refashion rewards product eco-design initiatives through a system of bonuses and penalties. Find out about the criteria and procedures for declaring eco-modulations.

Find out more

Certified animal fibres 22 23 24:

Certified recycled fibres 25 26:

Finished product certifications 27 28 29:

Textile Exchange – Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report (annual)

Published annually by Textile Exchange, this report is the industry reference for production volumes of the main textile fibres. For wool, it tracks the growth of certified and recycled wool in the global mix and provides the most up-to-date publicly available market data. The 2025 edition reveals that the combined market share of wool produced in accordance with the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ, ZQRX, SustainaWOOL Green (SustainaWOOL under the Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme (AWSS)), Sustainablue (ResponsiWOOL under the AWSS), SustainaWOOL Gold, Sustainable Cape Wool Standard and Climate Beneficial™ Verified standards decreased, from around 5.2% in 2023 to 4.3% in 2024, with all these wool programmes recording lower or unchanged production volumes. For RWS, this trend is due to low wool prices in 2024 and to the fact that certified wool often does not benefit from a sufficient premium. Recycled wool accounted for around 7% of the global wool market in 2024.