This Earth Day, it's more important than ever to celebrate and protect our beautiful planet. At French Knot, all of our products are made from wool, a naturally sustainable material, and produced entirely by hand. We are proud to consider ourselves part of the slow fashion movement with our production producing little to no emissions or carbon footprint.

What makes wool such a sustainable fiber?

Wool is a protein that grows from the skin of sheep, goats, and other similar animals. Wool is often used in textiles once the fleece is shorn, spun, and woven into cloth. Because fleece regrows each year after shearing, wool is a natural, renewable fiber source, making it one of the most sustainable sources for apparel.

Because sheep can be raised on non-arable lands and rougher terrains, wool consumes less energy and has a smaller carbon footprint than other textile fibers. Nearly 50% of wool’s carbon footprint comes from the sheep themselves, rather than the manufacturing process.

Wool is fully biodegradable, able to break down quickly and return its nutrients to the soil without releasing plastic microfibers into the environment, as synthetic rivals do. In addition to biodegrading on land, wool is also able to biodegrade in water without contributing to microplastic pollution.

According to Woolmark, wool is the most reused and recyclable fiber of all major apparel fibers, accounting for 1.3% of total textile fiber market share with 5% of recycled fibers market share!

Wool is often utilized by the slow fashion movement due to its longer lifespan. On average, wool is worn longer and washed less frequently (at lower temperatures) than other fibers, resulting in a lower impact on the environment.

 

Happy Earth Day!