RESPONSIBLE WOOL
JOOP! is using an increasing quantity of mulesing-free merino wool in its knitwear and ready-to-wear collections, such as the knitwear basics – a decision that upholds animal welfare and meets our desire for more sustainable, animal-friendly product quality.
Mulesing is a technique used on young merino sheep in order to prevent infestation of the animal’s wool with fly maggots. A section of skin is removed around the animal’s tail, which is often the site where the flies lay their eggs. Because the skin is often removed without anaesthetic or follow-up care and the scar often becomes inflamed, this process is painful and distressing for the animals. This type of fly is found throughout Australia but not in countries such as Uruguay, Patagonia, South America , South Africa, Spain and Portugal, which means they are able to guarantee mulesing-free merino wool. That is why we source our merino wool exclusively from countries that can guarantee mulesing-free wool.
There is as yet no internationally recognised mulesing-free certificate. Certificates such as GOTS, RWS and ZQ Merino, however, guarantee animal welfare and prohibit mulesing in their standards.