It’s easy to see why plastic has become the world’s go-to material. It’s cheap, versatile, lightweight and durable. As such, it’s revolutionised so many important areas of our lives.
Plastic storage options have massively reduced food wastage; healthcare sanitation has improved greatly due to plastic solutions; and fuel efficiency in vehicles has progressed no end due to the use of plastics.
Plastic’s powers come with a massive downside
And these are just some of the ways plastic’s super powers have seen it become an almost universal choice for so many of the world’s biggest industries. Just like many super-heroes, however, plastic comes with a seriously dark side.
That famed durability? Well, this also means it doesn’t decompose for over 450 years. That’s almost half a millennium before that piece of food packaging disappears. In fact, the first piece of plastic ever to be made is still in existence. I don’t know about you, but I find that quite a scary thought.
Is it time to rethink wool
Are we living on a plastic planet?
Anyone who’s seen David Attenborough’s beautiful but unnerving ‘Blue Planet’ can’t fail to be concerned about the legacy plastic is leaving, especially in our oceans. From the suffocating fishing nets to the invisible micro plastics that find their way into the food chain, plastic is slowly choking our ecosystem.
Plastic has become so universal it’s in every aspect of our lives – from home to work and even the clothes we wear. This extraordinary material is no longer the driver of big human change, it works as a cheap option in the most everyday application.
What’s the alternative?
So how do we reduce plastic’s use and reign in its all-consuming impact? Let’s imagine we could invent an organic natural alternative. Something just as durable yet with minimal impact on the environment, that could replace some of this plastic, especially in our clothing.
Biodegradable is a good start
Let’s make it biodegradable in a matter of months instead of hundreds of years, massively reducing harmful landfill along the way. And how about this? Rather than polluting the earth it actually returns nutrients to the hungry soil.
Totally natural and sustainable this wonder material would also be hypoallergenic, anti-bacterial and odour resistant. Making it super safe for human contact.
It can be tough too.
Did I mention durability? This material would also be tear resistant yet soft enough to stretch, accommodate and be comfortable.
What else needs to go on the tick list? Let’s check that health and safety box by making things flame retardant with a high ignition point to keep the wearer safe. And yet breathable enough to maintain the wearer’s temperature in both warm and cool conditions. While we’re on, let’s throw in that all important UV protection.
Any colour as long as it’s eco-friendly
Of course, in a style conscious world, colour is crucial. So how about making this fantasy fabric oh-so-absorbent? That way it could easily take on any colour without any need for excessive use of chemicals.
But how can we get this material into production? Here’s the good news: it already is. In fact, it’s been used by humans for thousands of years. In many cases it has sadly become second choice to mass produced plastic.
Let’s talk about wool
What am I talking about? You guessed it – good old wool.
My love story with wool started when I became a mum to two little girls. Up to my ears in little ones’ laundry – and with no outside drying space – the tumble dryer became my secret (and shameful) friend. I desperately needed a way to speed up the drying process and soften their clothes at the same time. That’s when I combined my felting skills with the power of natural wool to create laundry balls. Not long after, I shared the secret through Little Beau Sheep.
Local inspiration – global implications
Inspired by the hardy sheep that inhabit the moors alongside my home here in Yorkshire, I got to work on a variety of wild and woolly laundry balls! Even better, I found the fact that I specialised in felting really chimed with the history of wool…
It just felt right
You don’t need complex tools to work with wool. To felt, you just need heat, moisture, and pressure. As the scales on the fibres hook to one other, they form a dense, tear resistant mat. I was delighted to discover three legends that tell the story of the origin of felt. Are you sitting comfortably?
The legendary stories of felt
St. Clement, persecuted by the Romans, had to flee from his city. In the melee, his feet became badly cut and blistered. To provide relief, he stuffed his sandals with snippets of wool. In time this wool became packed and firm, taking the form of a cosy prototype felted sock.
Breaking news from NOAH’S ARK. Legend has it, felt was created from the hair of animals on the ark. As the guests naturally shed fur and hair, it gradually covered the floor of the biblical boat. Mixing with water and trampled by paws and hooves, a felt carpet was formed.
Finally, there is the legend of the Persian Shepherd. Thought to be Solomon’s son, this chap accidentally turned a sheep’s fleece into felt by stomping on it out of frustration. Anger management issues aside, you could imagine that happening today out of frustration at the price of a fleece!
A natural wonder
Like a lot of things, however, the real legendary figure – Mother Nature – was there first. The secret to wool lies in its structure. Unlike linen, cotton or polyester, wool fibres are cloaked in scales. A bit like a slate roof.
This lets the wool repel water yet allow water vapour to slip between the cracks. In fact, wool is one of the most water loving fibres, capable of absorbing as much as 40% atmospheric water vapour…without feeling damp to the touch. (Perfect for tumble drying).
Wool also traps air between these scales, creating a thermal barrier and slowing down the transfer of heat. So if you’re wearing wool, it keeps you cool on a hot day and cosy on a chilly one. How smart is that?
And get this. Wool is so supremely hard-wearing, fibres can be bent back in themselves over 20,000 times without breaking – compared to 3,000 when it comes to cotton.
A soft and safe option
Yet despite being hard-wearing, wool is gentle on the earth. It biodegrades in months without choking our oceans and poisoning our food chain with every wash. Plastics, I’m looking at you!
Remember that health and safety box we ticked? How about this? Thanks to its naturally high nitrogen and water content, firefighters wear woollen underwear as a breathable last line of defence.
Is it time to re-think wool?
With all of this in mind, why are we neglecting wool and all its applications? I think it’s time to rethink wool and learn from the past.
In the 1800s, wool was literally the fabric of the community. Knitting circles in villages combined men, women and children, nattering and earning money. It’s the blueprint for Little Beau Sheep and our flock of helpers! Airmiles go out the window and environmental impact is low. Especially if you’re sourcing local raw materials.
In the words of Greta Thunberg – no one is too small to make a difference. To me that’s really important. With imports no longer an easy option, there’s no better time to look at what we can source locally. And yet, big online and high street retailers let us buy anything at any time, all under one roof. So convenient – but so removed from how things are produced.
Are you up for the wool challenge?
So I’m going to leave you with a challenge. I’d like you to make a commitment to changing just one thing. It could be to:
- take a conscious decision to shop local
- actively research where your purchases come from
- look carefully at what purchases are made from.
Washing wool is not as difficult as you might think either, download our free Wool Wash Checklist here
I’d love to know any of your suggestions for a better more sustainable world : )
