ZQ Natural Fibre | Animal Welfare (2024)

FAQs

Is ZQ wool ethical? ›

ZQ is considered the “gold standard” for wool when it comes to traceability across the entire supply chain, and is also known as the world's leading ethical wool.

Most merino wool certification covers ethical sourcing and, more specifically, whether the wool comes from mulesed or non-mulesed sources. This distinction is important. Mulesing is a sometimes painful process where areas of skin are removed from merino sheep (without anaesthetic) to limit chances of infection.

The animal rights organisation PETA strongly opposes mulesing, says the practice is cruel and painful, and that more humane alternatives exist, and claim that sheep can be spared maggot infestation through more humane methods, including special diets and spray washing.

Always look for mulesing-free notifications and certified ethical wool. When buying wool, you should look for standards and certifications that ensure the fair treatment of animals and the respect of the environment, such as the Responsible Wool Standard and ZQ Merino Standard.

But because there's a market for their fleece and skin, they're treated like nothing more than textile-producing machines—and genetically manipulated to produce an unnatural amount of wool. PETA has released 14 exposés of 117 sheep operations on four continents, revealing systemic abuse in the wool industry.

Our Growers

The best wool starts with the best growers. The ZQ-accredited growers we work with are devoted to their trade, and we want to keep it that way. We were one of the first companies to create long-term contracts with our Merino wool growers to ensure that we can use ethically sourced wool.

ZQ Merino is a certified 'ethical' wool standard that addresses animal welfare, environmental sustainability, fibre quality, traceability and social responsibility.

People who want to buy wool, but do not want to pay for cruelty towards sheep may have heard about the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) or the ZQ wool certification. Both of these certifications claim that the wool sold under their names ensures 'freedom from pain', as well as 'freedom from fear and distress'.

Organic wool seems to be a much more sustainable and ethical choice compared to the alternatives mentioned previously. In GOTS-certified organic farms, sheep are allowed to roam and graze freely all year-round in very large portions of land, and they are treated a lot more humanely, with mulesing being prohibited.

Mulesing is the process where lambs, just 6-12 weeks old, are restrained on their backs, while strips of skin are cut away from their backside. Mulesing causes lambs excruciating pain, fear, and stress, and it's currently still legal to carry out this procedure without any form of pain relief.

Why is PETA against shearing sheep? ›

Shearers are usually paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast work without any regard for the welfare of the sheep. This hasty and careless shearing leads to frequent injuries, and workers use a needle and thread to sew the worst wounds shut—without any pain relief.

With New Zealand banning mulesing by law in 2018, Australia is now the last remaining country where it's practiced. So why do we stubbornly hold on to this husbandry practice that so clearly causes pain and distress to young sheep?

The often fine and soft lambswool is a coveted textile in fashion. Yet some of the lambs that provide the hair to make such luxurious material are raised in farming systems that are neither sustainable nor ethical.

Despite how it's marketed, alpaca wool comes from cruelty.

There are recordings of alpacas being stitched up without any pain relief after being cut with shears.

Unregulated, brutal killing. The vast majority of cashmere comes from China and Mongolia. In these countries, there are minimal or no laws protecting goats from cruelty. Goats in the cashmere industry are often slaughtered while fully conscious without being stunned prior, or hit in the head with a hammer.

Our partner, New Zealand Merino Company, has developed ZQ, the world's first Merino wool accreditation program. This program ensures environmental, social and economic sustainability and safeguards animal welfare. Our Merino sheep enjoy free range, in some of the most spectacular natural settings found today.

Ultimately though, both alpaca and sheep wools are very sustainable options. They are both composed of natural fibers and are biodegradable. Lyocell, also known as Tencel, is a plant-based fiber made from eucalyptus trees.