Top US retailers offer organic wool apparel & home products
09 Nov '05
3 min read
Merino wool crew and moisture- wicking hiking socks from Maggie's Organics (Ypsilanti, MI) soft and natural colored Merino baby blankets and clothes from NUI Organics (Austin, TX); rustic and warm sweaters from Patagonia (Ventura, CA) and Sahalie (Hillsboro, OR), and 'O-Wool' knitting yarns and fabrics by the Vermont Organic Fiber Company (Middlebury, VT) which is the supplier for the Delano Collection, Fox River Mills, Maggie's Organics, Patagonia and Sahalie brands. Quick Feat International (Bend, OR) manufactured sweaters for Sahalie in '05 and is in production for Patagonia '06 sweaters.
OWN support organizations include: the Organic Exchange (Berkeley, CA), which develops networks and business models to facilitate business-to-business transactions, and the Organic Trade Association (Greenfield, MA), which provides information on the organic industry, as well as an online directory of companies involved in organic wool and other products.
To be certified as organic wool, USDA requires that the sheep be raised without the use of synthetic hormones or pesticides or overgrazing of the land, and with organic feed and under continuous organic management from the last third of gestation forward.
According to a recent survey by M+R Strategic Services, approximately 19,152 pounds of organic wool were grown in the United States and Canada in 2005. Specifically, 18,852 pounds of grease wool were produced in six US states and 300 pounds were produced in Ontario.
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