Merino wool
One of our absolute favorite materials. No synthetic material comes close to the properties of soft merino wool. Heat insulating in cold and cooling in heat. Antibacterial properties that prevent bad odors. Warms even if it gets wet. We use merino wool of thin fiber thickness (low so-called micro-value) to maximize comfort when the garments are worn closest to the skin.
The merino wool from the merino sheep that often lives in a climate that changes from extreme cold to proper heat. The sheep copes with the winter cold through the wool's warming effect and the summer's heat through the wool's cooling effect.
The wool's properties also help you keep your body at a stable temperature. The very fine and curly fibers create natural air pockets that help insulate against the cold, even when the garment is wet. When you get warm during activity, the merino wool transports moisture away from the skin and helps you stay dry. These properties make merino wool a good choice for both warm and cold days.
Soft and non-itchy
Merino wool's fine fibers in combination with its structure mean that merino wool clothing is soft and comfortable to wear close to the body. Unlike coarser wool, the fine fibers of merino wool fold when they come into contact with the body. It therefore takes a lot if you are to experience that they itch.
Naturally antibacterial and fragrance-free
Merino wool is naturally antibacterial, which means you can wear the same garment for many days without smelling. Almost a little magical. Merino wool is therefore an excellent choice for hikes or trips where you want to carry light and may not have much space for packing.
Warms even when damp
Taking a break in a sweaty cotton sweater is a cold and unpleasant experience. With a wool sweater, it's a completely different matter. That the wool warms even when it is wet is an old truth, but what is this due to?
The wool could be called a smart insulation. The very small air pockets in each wool fiber provide both insulation and breathability. Wool keeps you warm when it's cold and when it's very hot it helps keep you cool. It is no coincidence that Bedouins use thin woolen garments in the scorching heat.
Clothing made of merino wool often has a UPF (Ultra Protection Rating) above 50. They thus provide a sun protection that is often higher than cotton and many synthetic materials.
Merino is the most important type of sheep for wool production in the world. Merino sheep come in over 200 breeds and are a type of domestic sheep best known for their wool but also for their meat. Historically, the merino sheep comes from North Africa, but was taken during colonialism to both Europe and South America. Today, merino sheep are found almost all over the world.
Australia is the country that produces by far the most merino wool, accounting for over 75% of the total world production. Other countries with large production are Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Uruguay.
How much wool a merino sheep produces depends on several different things such as breed, strain, sex and age. In general, an adult healthy sheep can produce between 3-18 kg of wool per year. The Merino sheep's wool grows all the time, so it needs to be cut at least once a year, otherwise it can cause big problems for the sheep. It can make it difficult to move, suffer from heat stroke or cause blindness. The wool that each Merino sheep produces is also affected by external factors such as the climate they live in and what they eat. Merino sheep do best living where they have access to large grazing areas and where they can move freely and have access to food. If the availability of food is deficient, this results in extra thin wool.
Mulesing
The very wrinkled skin of the merino sheep, in combination with the wool on the sheep's hindquarters being soiled by faeces and urine, creates an environment where the bluefly can lay its eggs. The newly hatched larvae then obtain their nutrition by eating the skin of the sheep. There is then a risk that the sheep will be affected by a parasitic infection which, if left untreated, can in the worst case lead to the death of the sheep.
To prevent the fly attacks, JHW Mules developed a method in 1929 to prevent fly attacks on the merino sheep. The method is a surgical procedure performed on lambs when they are between 6-10 weeks old and involves removing the skin folds in the buttock area using mule scissors or a knife.
Mulesing is normally performed without anesthesia and has shown several negative effects on lambs. In addition to pain, discomfort and stress, the lamb also reduces its weight gain for about 14 days after the procedure. There are also other negative effects such as the lamb being separated from the ewe and in large flocks even the lamb may find it difficult to find its way back to the ewe as their sound is drowned out by the large flock.
In which countries is mulesing performed?
After mulesing was banned in New Zealand in 2018, today it is only in Australia that this procedure is still performed. Merino sheep in other parts of the world, e.g. South Africa, Argentina and Uruguay, live in a climate where the risk of fly attacks is significantly less and where mulesing therefore does not need to be used.
Why is mulesing still performed in Australia?
The mulesing was supposed to end in 2010 in Australia, but it has not happened. There have been attempts at alternative methods such as non-surgical mulesing where plastic clamps are attached around the skin fold and thereby cut off the blood supply. This causes so-called necrosis, which leads to the skin falling off. Another alternative method is to inject chemicals into the skin. However, none of these options have been shown to be less painful for the sheep and are not accepted as alternatives by Animals Australia, Australia's national animal welfare organisation. The only viable option would be to genetically breed sheep with smooth woolless hindquarters that would become resistant to fly attack. It is a process that takes a long time and thus mulesing is still used.
How common is mulesing in Australia?
Mulesing is unfortunately still very common in Australia. According to the " Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development in Western Australia ", the method is still used on more than 70% of all merino lambs. This means that the majority of all merino sheep are still subjected to this painful and painful method because Australia produces 75% of all merino wool in the world.
Is it possible to buy mulesing-free merino wool?
Many companies in the clothing industry have long worked to purchase only mulesing-free wool, but this has proven to be challenging. A large part of the challenge lies in achieving transparency and traceability in the supply chain. Wool is traditionally sold at large auctions. From the auctions, the wool continues in the supply chain to be cleaned, carded, combed and then spun into yarn. The yarn must then be knitted or woven into a final garment. There are thus many companies involved in the entire supply chain and many people involved in the various steps.
To further complicate the process, it is very common for the merino wool to be mixed with different qualities where the different qualities may not come from just one farm.
There are several initiatives that seek to ensure animal welfare in the wool industry and enable clothing manufacturers to purchase wool that is guaranteed to be mulesing-free. However, for larger clothing manufacturers who need large volumes of wool, it can be challenging to find mulesing-free wool in sufficient quantities.
How do we at Henmark ensure that you get mulesing-free merino wool?
In order to ensure that the sheep that provided wool for your clothes were not exposed to mulesing, we as a supplier must be able to trace the wool from the sheep farm to the finished garment.
We at Henmark ensure this by having control over the supply chain for all wool used in our production. We currently buy all our wool from NATIVA™ , which uses blockchain technology to secure the supply chain of the merino wool. Traceable wool, in short!