Doing things the right way has always been important to us. Since day one, we’ve prioritized buying Merino wool from non-mulesed sheep from certified humane sheep farmers in Australia and New Zealand. All of these sheep eat grass, drink water and bask in the sunshine, creating incredible Merino wool along the way.
This year we’ve implemented a paper trail and third party-verified certification with the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). Many of our new fall and winter products are now RWS certified, and we’re working toward getting all of our products certified. This is just the start of a multi-year process.
The Responsible Wool Standard evaluates farmers and ranchers against animal welfare, land management and social requirements set in the standard. For certification, everyone in the supply chain must be certified – from the wool farms we work with to our manufacturing partners to us as the clothing seller.
While our entire catalog is not yet RWS certified, we are working toward getting all of our products certified in the coming years. Items that aren’t certified still pass our high internal standards in each of these areas.
Check the product description and fabric details on individual product pages to see which products are currently certified. Our new fall colors of our Solstice Sun Hoodies, Men’s Journey T-Shirts, Men’s Journey Pocket Tees, Women’s Journey Oversized Tees, Aspect base layers, most underwear, and some accessories are RWS certified.
How does RWS work?
RWS certification is tracked through every step of the wool supply chain, and this certification is independently verified, so you can trust it. Once certification is obtained, all communication is examined by these independent certifying bodies. We work with IDFL for certification, and you’ll see our Textile Exchange number listed on every certified product’s page: TE-00339331.
To achieve RWS certification, standards must be met in animal welfare, land management and social requirements.
For animal welfare, RWS certification confirms that the sheep have the Five Freedoms: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress.
The standard criteria also cover social welfare, working conditions and the health and safety of workers associated with farms.
The Responsible Wool Standard has helped the wool industry move in a better direction for the last decade. By setting clear standards, farm owners don’t have to make guesses about animal welfare or social welfare. And with this certification becoming more popular, it has helped incentivize farms to take a more progressive approach to land management.
RWS not only benefits the sheep and their farmers, it also benefits the industry as a whole and gives us all confidence in the sourcing of our Merino wool.
What's next?
We plan to pursue RWS certification for more of our not-yet-certified styles in the coming years. In a world where clothing quality has continued to decline, we’re committed to continuing to make the best Merino products. We’re an independent company, so we don’t have shareholders demanding compromises and sacrifices. That’s important to us.
Our vision is to set the standard for natural performance. Prioritizing sustainability, animal welfare and our human relationships is how we continue to get there. Adding RWS certification is just one more block in the Merino clothing company we’re proud to continue building with you.
