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11:07, 1 April 2015 Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including goats, rabbits, sheep and camels. Wool fibre has inherent sustainability attributes. It is a renewable, natural fibre that can be used as a viable alternative to synthetic fabrics.
== Benefits ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+WOOL TYPES AND CHARACTERISTICS
|-
! style="background-color:#008b45;width:200px;color:#ffffff" |
! style="background-color:#008b45;width:200px;color:#ffffff" | MERINO
! style="background-color:#008b45;width:200px;color:#ffffff" | CASHMERE
! style="background-color:#008b45;width:200px;color:#ffffff" | MOHAIR
! style="background-color:#008b45;width:200px;color:#ffffff" | CAMEL
! style="background-color:#008b45;width:200px;color:#ffffff" | ANGORA
|-
| '''Bilder''' <br/><br/><br/><br/> || || || || ||
|-
| '''Microns''' || 18-20 || 14-19 || 23-45 || 16-20 || 14-16
|-
| '''Source & exclusivity''' || Sheep; common || Cashmere goat; common || Angora goat; common || Two-humped Bactrian camel; rare || Angora rabbit; limited producers
|-
| '''Major producers''' || Australia, China, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, UK || India, Mongolia, China || South Africa, United States || Mongolia, China || China, Europe, Chile, United States
|-
| '''Fibre collection''' || Shearing || Combing or Shearing || Shearing (twice annually) || Combed, shorn or collected during the 6-8 weeks moulting season || Hair removed every 3 months by shearing or gentle plucking
|-
| '''Cost''' || Low–moderate || High–luxury fibre || High || High–luxury fibre || High–luxury fibre
|-
| '''Blends well with''' || Natural and synthetic fibres || Wool and nylon (for knitwear) || Wool || Cashmere, wool, nylon (to make it more economical for manufacturer to produce) || Wool (to increase warmth and enhance softness)
|-
| '''End use'''|| Outerwear, knitwear, activewear, durable upholstery || Knitwear, babywear, blazers, coats, underwear, sleepwear, rugs, carpets || Clothing, rugs, carpets, blankets, durable upholstery || Knitwear garments, coats, suits, blazers, jackets, gloves, hats, scarves || Luxury undergarments, underwear, thermal base layers, scarves, sportswear, sweaters
|-
| '''Natural colours'''|| White, brown, grey, charcoal, black || White, grey, brown, red, yellow, almond, apricot || Blacks, greys, silvers, reds, apricots, copper || Golden tan, red to light brown || Black, blue, chocolate, brown, greys, white, reds
|-
| '''Consumer care & washing'''|| Hand-washable || Dry-clean || Dry-clean || Dry-clean || Hand-washable
|}
== Potential impacts ==
=== Animal welfare ===
===Processing===
===Dyeing===
===Consumer care/washing===
===End of use===
==Optimize sustainability benefits==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="background-color:#66cdaa;width:300px;color:#ffffff" | OPPORTUNITY
! style="background-color:#66cdaa;width:300px;color:#ffffff" | BENEFITS
! style="background-color:#66cdaa;width:300px;color:#ffffff" | CONSIDERATIONS
|-
| '''Know the difference between natural bamboo linen fabric, and bamboo made from a viscose process.''' || || Bamboo viscose is chemically processed and has greater pollution impacts to water and air.
|-
| '''Promote the use of linen from bamboo products.''' || Once the fibre is extracted from the stem, processing bamboo into yarn for linen is largely mechanical, with minimal environmental impact. ||
|-
| '''Promote the use of ozone bleaching processes to strip out the natural beige colour of linen (from flax). <br /><br />Promote the particular aesthetic of ozone bleach effects.''' || Ozone can used be with no water at all. || Ozone has limited availability, and is relatively expensive since it requires investment in ozone generating equipment. <br /><br />Ozone processes produce a different aesthetic than chlorine derivative or permanganate bleaching.
|}
==Availability==
== End use==
==Marketing opportunities==
==Innovation opportunities==