Organic Wool Network

Often it is the simple, natural ideas that have great promise for positive improvements. Sandra Marquardt and Juliana Jones have created a fascinating concept that can help spread the word about the many benefits of pure, natural wool - the Organic Wool Network (OWN), a collaborative of 11 producers, textile artists, yarn and fabric suppliers, mills, retailers and support organizations.

A major strength of the Organic Wool Network is the diversity of the eleven members which diversifies and combines their individual strengths. The eleven companies that give life to OWN are:

Del Cerro Hand Woven Textiles creating one-of-a-kind, fine textile art for natural interiors using organic wools. Their web site is a work of art that is inspiring, beautiful and reflective of the deep commitment and love that the Howell’s feel for the land, the animals, and their textile art. This image of a throw blanket and handcrafted floor screen gives an indication of the artistic talent and amazing craftsmanship of their art.

Maggie’s Organics is one of the venerable names in organic socks and underwear. For OWN, Maggie’s is introducing their outdoor wool socks for hiking, winter playing, and for just keeping your feet warm and cozy on cold mornings. Maggie is to be commended for her caring work with co-ops in Nicaragua. 

Delano Collection is debuting their new collection and concept in sustainable women’s fashions made from all organic wool. Very urban and chic. The new collection consists of a white organic wool coat. The lining is 100% rayon made from bamboo.

Organic Exchange is a non-profit business organization focused on creating environmental and social benefits through the expansion of organic agriculture. While their efforts are primarily concerned with raising the supply and demand of organic cotton to 10% of the world’s market within 10 years, they also support sustainability for all natural fibers including organic wool.

Nui Organics has an outstanding line of 100% certified organic New Zealand merino wool for baby clothes and blankets. And the pictures of babies on their web site are too cute.

   Fox River has been producing socks since 1900. Remember those stuffed monkeys made out of red heel socks? Yep, those were Fox River socks. Besides sock monkeys, Fox River also produces premier high-performance organic merino socks for winter outdoor enthusiasts. “Clever engineering that you can feel.” If you ever thought that a sock was just a bent tube of fabric, you should check out their site to see how technology and engineering are even in the world of socks.

Organic Trade Association is a politically and socially active business association that focuses on the organic business community in North America.  Their mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic trade to benefit the environment, farmers, general public, and the economy. Almost every organic business is a member of OTA.

Patagonia, well, everyone knows Patagonia. It is a major outdoor clothing manufacturer with a social and environmental consciousness. In 1996, they converted all the cotton in their entire sportswear line to 100% organic cotton. That’s commitment for a major clothing manufacturer. For OWN, Patagonia is offering four organic wool sweaters.

Quick Feat International owns garment factories in China, Vietnam and Macau that manufacturer private label apparel and sportswear to the general wholesale and retails markets. They have recently began producing organic clothing in hemp, cotton, bamboo, soy and wool. They knitted this season’s men’s organic sweater for Sahalie and will produce organic wool sweaters for Sahalie and Patagonia for their ’06 lines.

Sahalie, a division of Norm Thompson Outfitters, is phasing organic cottons and wools into their product lines. Currently, they are offering a modest collection of hemp/organic cotton garments and one organic wool sweater.

Vermont Organic Fiber Company produces the highest quality certified organic fiber, yarns and fabrics for several of the OWN garment sellers such as Fox River Mills, Maggie’s Organics, Delano Collection, Patagonia and Sahalie, in addition to other nationally and internationally recognized brands including Jasco Fabrics and Timberland.  Matt Mole, president of Vermont Organic Fiber Co., has been a major driver of the organic wool movement in the U.S.

A number of organic wool producers, textile artists, yarn and fabric suppliers, mills and retailers have been laboring to get the message out about the important benefits and value of organic wool. The media mountain that they are climbing is steep and slippery. Even though wool and cotton have been important fibers for millennium and produced worldwide, wool is a little brother to cotton in the family of natural fibers. Most media attention, even within the organic and sustainable clothing community, is lavished on cotton although organic wool has benefits that are at least comparable, and probably exceed, those of organic cotton.

Organic wool production in the U.S. is still modest. Approximately 19,000 pounds of raw organic wool will be produced in the U.S. in 2005. This compares with 11,500 acres producing a total of 514,695 pounds of organic cotton in 2001. But consumer interest in organic wool is growing. Matt Mole of Vermont Organic Fiber Co. expects the organic wool market to grow to the point where he will be buying up to 250,000 pounds of organic wool in four to five years.

"Unfortunately, there's not enough domestic production to meet that kind of demand," he adds. "My preference would be to buy all the wool I need domestically and be able to get the range of fiber quality I need, including finer wools. But I don't envision being able to do that real soon."

"I definitely see the organic wool market growing in the future," says Sandra Marquardt, who previously coordinated the Organic Trade Association’s Fiber Council and is now a Senior Consultant at M+R Strategic Services. "We've had several years of growth in organic cotton, and companies are now looking at other organic fibers, including organic wool.

Sandra Marquardt and Juliana Jones of M+R Strategic Services provided the creative juice, cohesive intelligence, and direction for the collective will that formed the Organic Wool Network. M+R Strategic Services is an interesting story in its own right. They are one of an elite group of firms that provide strategic marketing and organizational advancement services to socially conscious and environmentally aware organizations.

We shall be watching the Organic Wool Network for the effectiveness of their co-op marketing.  Educating consumers and gaining shopper awareness in the frenetic apparel world is immensely challenging. We all need to do what we can to support and strengthen the public’s understanding of healthy lifestyles.