WEGANOOL: ‘Vegan wool’ marketing riles-up Australian wool producers
Plant-based materials are starting to move forward because they are much more sustainable, much more viable to use, and they don't rely on an animal that has feelings and suffers.
ANGUS VERLEY: Weganool is processed in India and is being turned into clothing by Belgian designer Infantium Victoria, which markets its garments as “100 per cent organic and PETA-approved vegan”… Is it acceptable for a non-wool product to market itself as vegan wool? Absolutely not, according to Wool Producers Australia. The peak body for woolgrowers is riled up by a marketing campaign for a new product called Weganool, made of three parts cotton and one part fibre from the weed calotropis, which is common in parts of northern Australia… Wool Producers Australia chief executive Jo Hall said the definition of wool was black and white. “I think it’s really important to be clear that if it’s not from a sheep, then it cannot be called wool,” she said. “Any other fibre claiming to be wool is false and misleading”…
Dinie van den Heuvel, spokesperson for Weganool and co-owner of Infantium Victoria, defended the use of the term “vegan wool”. “The reason that it has been communicated like this is because if you touch it … it responds in the same way,” she said. “It has the same antibacterial properties and microscopically it responds in very similar ways. “If you look at the fibre, it’s a hollow fibre very similar to wool, in that it creates air pockets and it keeps you warm and keeps you cool, and that’s something that is not common in plant textiles.” Ms van den Heuvel said she did not think Weganool would capture any of wool’s market share. “I don’t think it’s a threat to wool, I think it’s something that exists next to it, because the fibre shows very similar traits,” she said…
Emily Rice, manager of outreach and partnerships at PETA Australia, challenged wool’s green credentials. “I think the argument that it’s sustainable and green just because it comes from an animal is a bit of a myth that people need to challenge,” she said. Ms Rice said plant-based products like Weganool were becoming increasingly popular globally. “Plant-based materials really are starting to move forward because they are much more sustainable, much more viable to use and they don’t rely on a middleman that has feelings and suffers,” she said. Ms Rice said she had no problem with the labelling of alternative clothing and food as “vegan”. “We have this debate with things like milk, and you can pull hairs about any of these things and it really doesn’t change anything,” she said. SOURCE…
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