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PartnerNews | Mons Royale, Gus Rowley and ZQ-Merinowolle

Certified merino wool from a farmer who skis

by Lorenzo Rieg 01/29/2020
It is fair to say that there has been a merino boom that has swept through the outdoor industry like a whirlwind in recent years. There is hardly a well-known outdoor manufacturer that doesn't have a few products made from this miracle wool in its range and many now rely exclusively on merino underwear and accessories, such as our partners from Mons Royale.

This is hardly surprising. The question is rather why the natural product merino wool was not used much earlier in the outdoor sector. The advantages are obvious: wool warms in winter, even when damp or wet, and cools in summer. Due to its natural antibacterial effect, it is practically odorless and can be biodegraded without leaving any residue. Ok, ok, we've actually understood this for years, merino wool is great and we can't imagine our wardrobes without it. But how is our merino ski underwear actually produced? Not everyone who uses them has thought about this...

This is where Mons Royale comes in with a partnership with the "wool guru" Gus Rowley, who is not only an enthusiastic freerider but also an experienced merino producer from Wanaka. He also runs his sheep farm with respect for the environment and his wool suppliers, the sheep. He is therefore one of the ZQ merino farmers. ZQ, also from New Zealand - where most merino wool is known to come from - tries to facilitate sustainable wool production as an institution that acts as an intermediary between farmers and clothing manufacturers.

This starts with the sheep, because as with most animal products, the production of merino wool is always confronted with ethical issues. This is where ZQ comes in, for example by concluding long-term contracts with farmers and thus protecting them from price fluctuations if the farmers agree to comply with the high ZQ standards in return. What rules must Gus, for example, follow so that he can supply ZQ merino wool with his sheep?

The so-called "5 freedoms" are central to ZQ. These include keeping animals free from hunger and thirst, with the freedom to exhibit natural behavior (e.g. sufficient space), freedom from discomfort and inadequate shelter (e.g. shade in summer), freedom from unnecessary pain and stress (e.g. no mulesing) and freedom from injury and disease (e.g. regular supervision). To ensure these freedoms, participating farmers are rigorously audited by external assessors on a regular basis.

In summary, ZQ supports farmers like Gus as long as they treat their sheep well. In addition, the measures improve the wool, at least according to ZQ, as healthier and stress-free sheep have more consistent wool.

So, all in all, a classic win-win-win situation and we naturally hope that as many of our readers as possible will opt for products made from certified merino wool in the future.

Here is some information from Mons Royale on the subject, here is the ZQ website.

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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