Having a personal relationship with each of our wool-growers is mutually beneficial. Together we have developed an evolving set of guidelines:
- Proper grazing methods: Our growers rotate sheep to different pastures to allow vegetation to recover from grazing. These farms also don’t overstock their pastures.
- Predator-friendly: Predators play an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Therefore, we encourage growers to use trained sheep guardian dogs rather than trapping, poisoning or shooting.
- Animal welfare and husbandry: Ethical practices are a must, and fortunately this is an area where we and our Eco Wool producers are in absolute agreement. Ideal climate and range conditions translates to healthy flocks.
- Chemical control: We oppose the use of herbicides and pesticides. Random spot-testing helps determine if wool has been in contact with harmful chemicals.
In addition, together, we and the growers strongly oppose carbonizing (using strong acids to dissolve vegetable matter), chemical crimping, dipping (bathing sheep in a pesticide solution), bleaching, harmful shearing, mulesing (cutting patches of skin of sheep to discourage infection), and overgrazing.