While, on this site I do sell wool which is not connected to the meat industry (that is, not from sheep sold for slaughter nor used for breeding), many people would say that is wrong. Why?
A strong argument against using wool at all is made here. Basically, it’s claimed that using wool at all encourages humans think it’s ok to exploit other species. I have a lot of sympathy with this argument but still feel that wool could be sold from sanctuaries and pet sheep to raise awareness of the plight of the great majority of sheep and to help rescue more sheep.
In the table below I have tried to give arguments for and against using wool from ‘safe’ sheep. I would like to hear any other viewpoints. You probably won’t change my mind, but, I’m willing to add them here.
| Arguments For Using Wool from Happy Sheep | Arguments Against Using Wool from Happy Sheep |
| Sheep have to be sheared so why not use their wool | Using wool is an exploitation of another species, thus wrong. Wool can be disposed of as compost, left for the use of other animals, etc. Though, it might be argued that composting is also an exploitation. |
| Wool is much warmer than most synthetic and plant-based fibres. Plus it keeps you warm while wet, and is breathable. | Do we really need to be as warm as all that? And plant-based textiles are breathable. |
| Wool is much less polluting than cotton, and many synthetic fibres, thus using it helps people, sheep and the environment | Alternative fibres to wool can be used. Not all are environmentally bad. Linen, for example, is kind to the environment. Tencel, using a closed loop, production system is also environmentally kind. Additionally, keeping sheep is not always environmentally friendly. It used a lot of land, causes trees to be cut down. etc. |
| Using sanctuary wool can be used to raise awareness of the plight of sheep | Allowing the use of wool encourages people to use any wool |
| Using sanctuary wool means that money raised can go back to the sanctuary. Most sanctuaries really struggle to raise money to keep the sheep and some rely on selling wool to save more sheep. The alternative would be to cull the sheep. | Not sure what to put here? |
All this of course does not take into account the wider picture of the huge amount of environmental damage resulting from fast fashion, that is another story.
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