When searching for an idea for the blog, I came across this interesting news about a brand called CAYO.
CAYO is an Irish fashion brand that produces clothing from Peruvian Alpaca wool. Alpaca wool, different from angora rabbit and cashmere goat’s wool, apparently is more sustainable and better for the environment.
Here are some benefits of Alpaca wool:
- Lighter footprint: Alpacas require a small amount of food and water. They consume food that is about 15% of their body weight. They also eat native grass and do not destroy natural vegetation as they do not pull the root from the ground when they eat.
- Plentiful wool: One alpaca can provide wool for 5-7 jumpers! Compared to cashmere goats, one can only produce ¼ of a sweater.
- They are natural fertilizers: They naturally fertilize the land.
- Long lasting, does not retain odor, lanolin-free, breathable, durable, moisture-wicking, non-itch, and hypoallergenic: THAT’S A LOT! Yes, these are all the benefits.
CAYO got me all excited and curious, so I researched more to see if alpaca wool is actually sustainable. From my research, it seems like it is indeed more sustainable than other widely seen wools. However, it is not 100% sustainable due to some reasons, such as the followings:
- Might involve animal exploitation: To produce the wool, the alpacas might live under harsh conditions, and sometimes they are forced to sheared at the wrong time to make the material. Typically, alpaca will shed their wool once a year during the season.
- Transportation footprint is high: Since CAYO is an Irish brand, the footprint of transporting the alpaca wool all the way from Peru can cause negative impacts on the environment.
However, despite this, CAYO has stated that they only use the wool from “ who have plenty of room to roam around the Peruvian Andes and are only sheared once every 12 months (during the shearing season),” which sounds promising. Also, they have participated in carbon offsetting by donating to the Carbon Fund depending on their calculated carbon emissions. But, does carbon offsetting really works? That’s a different story.
So, what is the best solution here? Perhaps consider buying clothes made from vegan textiles or more sustainable alternatives.
References:
- https://www.image.ie/style/sustainable-style-spotlight-cayo-701690
- https://cayo.ie/
- https://galwaynow.com/qa/
- https://shupaca.com/blogs/alpaca-blogs/why-alpaca-is-the-most-sustainable-material-in-the-world
- https://www.panaprium.com/blogs/i/alpaca-wool-ethical
Hi Gigi,
This new type of sweater sounds so interesting! I had no idea that alpaca wool has such sustainable qualities. I wonder however, if there is a price premium to these sweater, particularly because it is a unique offering. It would also be interesting to see how their production process will fare when they can’t shear the alpacas and essentially see how they are going to manage their resources.