{"id":137105,"date":"2020-02-06T12:27:40","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T20:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=137105"},"modified":"2023-05-18T15:55:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T22:55:59","slug":"good-gear-fjallraven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/good-gear-fjallraven","title":{"rendered":"Good Gear: From Wasted Wool to Wearable Warmth"},"content":{"rendered":"

For seven years, Hans Bulthuis and Jenny Andersson hoarded wool. They packed the shiny grey ringlets in every corner and crevice of their barn, located on Gotland off Sweden\u2019s east coast. The island\u2019s wool was considered waste, and the couple simply suspected the fibers deserved a better fate than the incinerator.<\/p>\n

In 2017, someone appeared with an idea. It was a fiber expert sent by Fjallraven<\/a>, the Swedish apparel company that, as luck would have it, had recently embarked on an initiative to use more wool\u2014particularly locally grown fibers. As Fjallraven conferred with Swedish wool producers, it learned about Gotland and the quixotic couple that was collecting local pelts. So when Fjallraven\u2019s fiber processor arrived at Bulthuis and Andersson\u2019s farm, he discovered massive stacks of wool totaling some 16 tons\u2014and the brand\u2019s designers started brainstorming how to make use of it all.<\/p>\n

\"Hans

Hans Bulthuis and Jenny Andersson<\/p><\/div>\n

Fjallraven\u2019s interest in wool sparked back in 2016, when one of the company\u2019s product developers read a magazine article describing how most of Sweden\u2019s wool gets destroyed. \u201cWe [Swedes] raise quite a lot of sheep,\u201d says Fjallraven Head of Sustainability Christiane Dolva. \u201cBut they\u2019re bred for their meat, not their wool, which is a byproduct that just gets thrown away.\u201d Fjallraven sought to change that.<\/p>\n

Turns out, Bulthuis and Andersson weren\u2019t the only ones collecting discarded wool and storing it away for future use\u2014Fjallraven soon learned of a handful of producers that could supply it\u2014but their stash proved large enough for Fjallraven\u2019s processor to work up some yarn and fabric samples with it. \u201cWool is a brilliant material, especially in the outdoor world, because it cools you when you\u2019re warm and warms you when you\u2019re cold,\u201d explains Dolva. Because it\u2019s inherently biodegradable, wool is also more sustainable than petroleum-based synthetics. But Fjallraven\u2019s designers soon realized Sweden\u2019s Gotland wool wasn\u2019t likely to make great base layers or sweaters.<\/p>\n

Unlike silky Merino<\/a> fibers, Gotland wool feels coarse and scratchy\u2014yet it\u2019s marvelously heat-trapping. After all, these pelts help sheep live outdoors through winter temperatures that rarely creep above freezing. Gotland fibers are also more breathable than plastic-based insulation.<\/p>\n

\"Gotland

Gotland wool<\/p><\/div>\n

Initially, Fjallraven tried using Gotland wool in a backpanel for a daypack: Released in fall 2018, the\u00a0Lappland Hike 15<\/a> swapped out the standard mesh-covered foam for a wool-based alternative. \u201cWe had long been looking for something to replace that synthetic makeup,\u201d Dolva explains. When the company couldn\u2019t locate backpack foams made from recycled content or similarly sustainable formulations, it tried out compressed Gotland wool. \u201cWe\u2019ve found it to be equal in durability and airflow to the synthetic version,\u201d Dolva says.<\/p>\n

Next, the company tried out wool-based wadding for insulated outerwear. Other brands, including Smartwool<\/a> and Icebreaker<\/a>, already use lofted wool in some of their jackets, and United By Blue<\/a> turns bison\u2019s coarsest fibers into lofty BisonShield<\/a> insulation for its puffy jackets. Fjallraven developed a similar approach for fall 2019, placing Gotland wool insulation throughout the Canada Wool Padded Jacket<\/a>\u2019s chest and sleeves, which are lined with silky polyester, so the scratchy wool doesn\u2019t contact the wearer\u2019s skin. The flannel face fabric also combines recycled wool and polyester. (Despite the name, this jacket features wool from Sweden, not North America.)<\/p>\n

\"Fjallraven

Fjallraven Canada Wool Padded Jacket<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heavier and bulkier than down, which still has the best warmth-to-weight ratio,\u201d Dolva says. But then again, Fjallraven doesn\u2019t chase ultralight construction, preferring to build for durability instead. Thus the Gotland wool insulation fits in well with the company\u2019s ethos: It\u2019s super warm, feels substantial and performs brilliantly in damp conditions.<\/p>\n

Fjallraven plans to expand its Gotland wool program to include more outerwear for fall 2020, including the women\u2019s Vidda Pro Wool Padded Jacket, a Gotland version of its hard-wearing predecessor<\/a> (which REI will carry). \u201cNow that we\u2019ve become wool nerds, the innovation team is excited about the possibilities,\u201d Dolva says.<\/p>\n

And more brands are jumping on board. \u201cSeveral Swedish textile brands are now talking about using [Gotland wool] too,\u201d Dolva says. The supply may grow to include wool produced in places beyond Sweden, as well. \u201cAs we launched these products, we heard that other countries in Europe are also discarding their wool, which suggests there\u2019s potential to develop a market,\u201d she says. Increased demand for wool could encourage producers in Gotland and across Europe to save and sell their fleece rather than burn or bury it.<\/p>\n

Because Bulthuis and Andersson were quite right: The world can\u2019t afford to trash quality wool.<\/p>\n

\n

All photos courtesy of Fjallraven. For more stories of brands doing good work, visit our Good Gear<\/a> landing page.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For seven years, Hans Bulthuis and Jenny Andersson hoarded wool. They packed the shiny grey ringlets in every corner and crevice of their barn, located on Gotland off Sweden\u2019s east coast. The island\u2019s wool was considered waste, and the couple simply suspected the fibers deserved a better fate than the incinerator. In 2017, someone appeared […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16975,"featured_media":151988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[724,1944,1791,591],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-137105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","tag-gear","tag-good-gear","tag-product-sustainability","tag-sustainability"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/camp\/good-gear-fjallraven","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Good Gear: From Wasted Wool to Wearable Warmth","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/good-gear-fjallraven","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/good-gear-fjallraven"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/02\/00-hero-1-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/02\/00-hero-1-1.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"jaypurcell"}],"creator":["jaypurcell"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["gear","good gear","product sustainability","sustainability"],"dateCreated":"2020-02-06T20:27:40Z","datePublished":"2020-02-06T20:27:40Z","dateModified":"2023-05-18T22:55:59Z"},"rendered":"