Shearing time in the UK is over for most farmers. Unfortunately for them, shearing sheep for their fleeces is not a profitable exercise and huge quantities of waste wool are destroyed. Sustainable rope is one potential use for fleece wool from hill and mountain breeds which would otherwise go to waste.
35,000 British farmers produce 25 million kilos of British wool (BBC Countryfile). According to the University of Strathclyde, hundreds of tonnes of wool is burned by farmers as waste. The current price of wool is too low at 20p-30p per kilo and that barely covers the farmer’s cost.
Kate Drury, a fourth generation sheep farmer is a board member of British Wool. Their mission is to ‘to drive sustainable demand for British wool’. Kate is passionate about the subject and says that she “can’t bear the price that we get back”. She thinks we need to create products made from wool to drive prices up.
Kate is also the founder of Sustainable Rope. She has chosen to use wool from breeds of sheep that are not desirable for carpets or clothing or carpets. These come from mountain breeds like Swaledale and Welsh Mountain and these fleeces achieve some of the lowest prices.
“If we can create new markets through innovation, so by creating innovation in wools that are definitely overlooked then we can lift the price”
– Kate Drury
Watch the recent episode of BBC Countryfile featuring British Wool & Sustainable Rope: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00215xw/countryfile-hengistbury-head
Sustainable Rope makes braid and rope for various applications. These include dog leads, halters and reins, and pull cords. The braid is also woven into baskets, key rings, door stops and scratching posts. The company produces natural wool fabric that is made into jackets.
The entire production process takes place within 60 miles of the workshop. The wool is graded, baled, core tested and sold at British Wool in Bradford – one of the only organisations that collects, grades, sells and promotes fleece wool. It then goes to BR Winding, a mill in Huddersfield to be carved and spun into yarn. The yarn is evenly spun to increase strength.
Wool rope is strong. Between two and four yarns are twisted together. They are then twisted again into one-ply or 3-ply rope. The stronger ropes are suitable for marine applications like seaweed, oyster and mussel farms.
These farms currently use ropes with plastic fibres. They split due to abrasion and release fibres that contain microplastics which are then consumed by our food sources. Wool rope solves this problem by replacing synthetic fibres with natural fibres. If a wool rope degrades in the ocean, and falls to the seabed, it will capture carbon. A truly sustainable rope.
To make wool more sustainable, more products need to be made using wool fibre. Wool fibre is sustainable, regenerative and natural. It is naturally antibacterial and odour resistant. It has insulation properties and is flame retardant. It can also regulate temperatures and be moisture absorbent. This makes it ideal for many product applications.
If you would like to buy wool products from the Sustainable Rope company, visit their listing in our sustainable business directory. If you make sustainable wool products, we’d like to hear from you.
