Resources

Conscious Creators of Gentle Textiles

Quick reality check first:

No brand (or certification) is 100% harm-free or “safe” in an absolute sense. RWS, ZQ, non-mulesed, and recycled/reclaimed wool are “less harm / more traceability” tools, unfortunately, not perfection. Therefore, if wool is going to be used at all, here are some of the less-harmful, more transparent ways and places it’s showing up.

1. Directories & frameworks

Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)

If wool is part of a project, I look for RWS as a baseline: at minimum it tells me there’s some oversight on welfare and land, and I can trace where that wool actually came from.

• What it is: A voluntary standard that sets requirements for sheep welfare, land management, and social responsibility, and requires all sites in the chain (farm → last B2B seller) to be certified.  

• Where to find brands: Textile Exchange maintains an RWS certified company directory you can search by company, country, or role in the supply chain.  

ZQ Merino

If I’m going to consider merino, I look for ZQ because at least I know there’s an audited welfare framework and real traceability behind it.

• What it is: A merino program focused on animal welfare, environmental care, fiber quality, and traceability; works with ~400+ growers and a roster of global brand partners.

• Where to find brands: ZQ publishes a brand partner list, including apparel, socks/footwear, and home décor (e.g., Ascend Rugs, Best Wool Carpets, Cavalier Bremworth).  

RegenMade (RWS + regenerative)

One place to hunt for RWS, regenerative, and more transparent wool products in one spot, with extra context for each.

RegenMade is a marketplace that curates products from regenerative farms, including those certified to RWS, and lets you filter by certification and brand.  

2. Interior & home brands using RWS / ZQ / recycled wool

These are the most relevant to upholstery, rugs, and interior textiles.

Kvadrat (Denmark / global)

If wool is in the conversation, I look for textiles like Kvadrat’s Re-wool that at least draw on recycled wool rather than fresh extraction.

• What they’re doing: Re-wool / Re-wool 2 upholstery: woven with 45% recycled wool, using scraps from their own production to create a new textile.  

• Why they matter for you:

  • High-design upholstery textiles with a clear recycled content story.

  • Often specified in architecture and interiors globally—very trade-friendly.

Camira (UK / global)

Camira’s recycled wool lines are examples of wool being kept in circulation, not newly pulled from sentient beings, which is still not perfect, but a step closer to ‘use what already exists.’

What they’re doing:

• ReSKU 2.0: an upholstery fabric made from recycled wool from their own manufacturing waste + flax, reimagining their 1990s recycled wool fabric.  

• Revolutionary by Camira: another recycled wool fabric using waste wool yarn via their iinouiio* recycling technology.  

• Why they matter: Long-standing upholstery specialist with a credible circularity story around their recycled wool lines.

*iinouiio specializes in taking post-consumer and manufactures waste and convert it into a range of fibers, yarns and fabrics.

Kirkby Design – The Sustainable Collection (UK)

• What they’re doing: A “Sustainable Collection” made from recycled wool, recycled acrylic, recycled PET, and TENCEL Lyocell, designed to be fully recyclable and “circular.”  

• Why it’s relevant: This is upholstery weight, design-led fabric you can actually specify for sofas, chairs, and cushions while highlighting reduced virgin wool use.

ZQ-linked rug & carpet brands (NZ / global)

Wool options I’d only consider when wool is truly non-negotiable and we’re prioritizing traceability and welfare as much as possible.

Some home brands working with ZQ merino include:  

• Ascend Rugs – NZ merino wool rugs in various textures.  

• Best Wool Carpets – wool carpets made from premium NZ wool.  

• Cavalier Bremworth (Bremworth) – New Zealand–made wool carpets with a strong design focus and a local supply-chain story.  

These are still wool from sentient beings, but with:

• Traceability through ZQ.

• Explicit commitments around welfare and land stewardship.

Lovat Mill (Scotland – tweed)

• What they’re doing: Traditional tweed weaving, with all wool sourced from certified non-mulesed sheep on farms that follow strict welfare standards.  

• Why it’s relevant: For heritage tweeds in cushions, upholstery, or small accents, this is an example of a mill openly stating non-mulesed sourcing and welfare commitments.

Vitra + their fabric partners (EU, global)

An example of a furniture brand that’s working with mills producing recycled wool textiles, rather than defaulting to the cheapest virgin option.

Vitra isn’t a mill, but they specify and curate fabrics from a small set of European manufacturers, including recycled and renewable fibers, and recycled wool textiles like Re-wool.  

3. Apparel / knitwear brands (good to know, even if not interior)

These aren’t interior brands, but they’re useful examples of other companies that also use more consciously sourced wools. Again, none of this is “perfect” but rather signs that we’re moving in a more ethical and sustainable direction.

Eileen Fisher® (US) uses RWS-certified wool and has an animal-welfare policy aligned with the Five Freedoms, plus a focus on traceability from source to manufacturing of their clothing.  

Patagonia (US) works with RWS wool and has its own internal wool standard, while being candid that regenerative wool is only one piece of a complex climate puzzle.  

Woolx (US) states that all wool used is certified non-mulesed and source farms do not practice mulesing, emphasizing humane treatment as a core value.  

Simply Merino (Canada) is a family-run brand using Australian merino from certified non-mulesed farms that adhere to high welfare standards.  

L’Envers (Europe) uses knits with natural, non-mulesed wool + organic cotton, explicitly chosen for environmental and welfare reasons.  

4. Tool for non-mulesed brands in general

FOUR PAWS (An Animal Welfare Organization) – Has a 100 textile brands against mulesing campaign listing brands (Patagonia, H&M, Jack Wolfskin, Hugo Boss, etc.) that publicly oppose mulesing and commit to non-mulesed wool sourcing. It is a quick filter if someone insists on buying wool fashion and wants at least non-mulesed as a floor.