@sinituulia@eldritch.cafe wool is heavily greenwashed and far less ethical than it’s made out to be. https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/wool
@ivy@veganism.social Well, I've personally been vegan for some 17 years, but do consider there to be nuance in most things, including but not limited to wool. It's a very useful and long-lasting material, but not like plastic which is problematically long-lasting. If a person has the option of either buying one wool coat and one woollen jumper and makes both last for 20 years in active use... Just how much less water, lakes, manufacturing sites, towns, sea and air is polluted, if that stops the same person from buying ten polyester parkas and 20 acrylic cardigans? Because locally produced wool can take organic dyes from locally grown plants, whereas the cheaper fast fashion options will be shipped, and shitting all over the ecosystems of, multiple parts of the world. I firmly oppose animal cruelty, but I do include the inhabitants of all ecosystems, including humans, in that. The only part that is simple is this: BUY AND USE LESS. Whatever it is.
@sinituulia@eldritch.cafe i hear what you’re saying, but i’m not sure sheep should be forced to bear the direct burden of humans’ fundamentally broken fashion system. is a coat that lasts a human 20 years worth the entire life of another being, especially when ethical, sustainable plant fibres exist? i know wool has specific properties that make it desirable to humans, but does that give us the right to take it?
i acknowledge that we’ve gotten ourselves into a huge mess right now and that it’s not as simple as “everyone switch to plant fibres right now”. but i also think the recent movement encouraging a wider adoption of wool — without acknowledging or discussing the very real trade-offs — has dire consequences for all lives on this planet.
@ivy@veganism.social Plant fibres are well and good until it hits -30C (-22F) and then you're either going to be wearing some high tech plastic that is a problem the second the oil for it gets dug up... or wool. This I know from first hand experience. I've also been told by some patient indigenous educators that when it hits -40C (-40F) you're also going to need fur. I wouldn't personally wear fur, and fur farmers can walk into the sea for all the harm they cause, but fur and leather when done right, for example as one facet of reindeer herding where the entire animal gets used...
Probably more sustainable than off-shore drilling and killing a million fish, invertebrates and birds when there's yet another oil spill.
Sustainable isn't always the same as ethical! They do often intersect, but not always. There are a thousand ways to unethically and unsustainably produce plant fibres and garments, too. Do I wish every bit of wool ever came from a named sheep living its best sheep life, rotationally grazing in a permaculture setup? Or that everybody switched to certified Oeko-Tex or organic linen? I do. And I do hope we get there. I think even the trend and awareness about wanting more sustainable and ethical is good, now we just have to make it so companies are actually held accountable.
ivy is birdposting Ⓥ
Sini Tuulia