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INSTYLE signs first ethical + environmental wool supply agreementFabric made using wool from a breed of Merino sheep that don’t require mulesing will soon be available, through Australia’s first-ever ethical wool supply agreement for the furnishings industry. Former CSIRO scientist, Dr Jim Watts, developed the Merino breed to have softer, more flexible skin that has less wrinkles and folds, known as SRS® sheep for their Soft-Rolling- Skin. The absence of skin corrugations ensures the animals are not at risk of developing flystrike and therefore do not need to be mulesed like the traditional, more-wrinkled Merino breeds.
Chad Taylor, SRS® Wool Producer, Michael Fitzsimons Managing Director of INSTYLE CONTRACT TEXTILES and exclusive producer of EthEco® furnishing fabrics, and SRS® Sheep Breeding Consultant Dr Jim Watts showing superior quality and staple length of EthEco® wool. Australia’s long history of mulesing on sheep farms has led several major International fabric designers and manufacturers to boycott locally-produced wool. The boycott was led by the animal rights group PETA, which maintains its stance on mulesing as an outdated and inhumane practice. The focus to date has been on the apparel industry due to the publicity surrounding International boycotts. There has been comparatively little pressure on Australian textile manufacturers to supply non-mulesed wool for use in soft furnishing applications, in either commercial or residential interiors. Last month, however, INSTYLE Contract Textiles signed an exclusive worldwide agreement with the SRS® Company Pty Ltd to provide non-mulesed wool, which will be released by INSTYLE under the brand of EthEco®, to the furnishing industry around the globe.
SRS® sheep on pastureland. Michael Fitzsimons Managing Director of INSTYLE CONTRACT TEXTILES and Dr Jim Watts SRS® Sheep Breeding Consultant form a partnership for the use of SRS® non-mulesed wool to be used in EthEco® wool furnishing fabrics. The agreement will provide architects, interior designers, governments, corporations and hospitality operators an alternative to buying Merino wool from mulesed sheep, and is an important step in maintaining ethical standards in the furnishings and interiors sector. “We strongly endorse the cessation of mulesing and we are confident of the support of the professional design industry and consumers alike,” INSTYLE’S Managing Director, Michael Fitzsimons said. Importantly the SRS® Merino farms that Instyle selects to source EthEco® wool for the sustainable LIFE Textiles® collection will demonstrate holistic farming practices – providing further environmental benefits as well as the ethical consideration. “Holistic farming strategies such as rotational stock movements, integrated pest management, enhancing ecosystems, improving soil health and biodiversity, increasing natural groundcover and optimising water cycles all lead to healthier, happier animals, improved environment and farmlands and more profitable operations in the long term,” Fitzsimons says. “To produce a truly ethical and sustainable product that can be beneficial to users and their environment, we need to account for all stages of the product lifecycle – from the initial animal husbandry through to the processing of the entire supply chain.” According to Dr Watts, the wool produced from the SRS® sheep has added benefits over that of the conventional Merino including potentially a greater yield , as the fibre can grow up to twice the staple length over the same period. Also, as the SRS® sheep breed is naturally resistant to flystrike, pesticides are not required to be used. Shearers find the smooth-skinned SRS® sheep easier to shear and the shearing process is also kind on the sheep. “It’s a win-win situation for the animal, environment, farmer and end user” Fitzsimons says. INSTYLE will release its new EthEco® non-mulesed wool product in upholstery and screen fabrics as part of its Sustainable LIFE Textiles® Collection - LIFE is an acronym for ‘Low Impact For the Environment’. The LIFE Textiles® collection was initially developed as a collaborative effort with The Woolmark Company. INSTYLE is a Woolmark Company licensee and long term Key Partner.
BACKGROUND Instyle Contract Textiles Pty Ltd is a specialist in the design, marketing and distribution of commercial interior furnishing textiles (for offices, healthcare, hospitality, transport, education, public buildings, etc). INSTYLE designs and develops its own distinctive range of LIFE Textiles® upholstery and screen textiles in its award winning Sydney design studio which are then produced by manufacturers located in Australia and New Zealand. Since 2002 INSTYLE has made a substantial effort to integrate sustainable practices throughout all aspects of the company – from management, product design, and marketing through to operations. The development of LIFE (Low Impact For the Environment) Textiles® was a collaborative effort with The Woolmark Company of Australia, and is a key part of INSTYLE’S sustainability strategy. LIFE Textiles®, released in late 2004, was the first sustainable textile collection in Australia to: • use 100% eco wool® and certified organic wool sourced from Australia or New Zealand; In recognition of these efforts, INSTYLE is proud to have won three awards in the 2008 Sustainability Green Globe Awards; • The Premier’s Sustainability Excellence Award INSTYLE won the 2008 United Nations Association of Australia World Environment Day Awards in the Business Sustainability Environmental Best Practice Program Category. INSTYLE was also a Banksia Awards finalist for two consecutive years, 2006 and 2007, in the Sustainability category. SRS Company Pty Ltd The SRS® trademark is the symbol of authenticity. Only fibre that has passed from the SRS® member growers through the breeding management and quality accreditation may bear the trademark.
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