Words by Abi Scaife
The international animal rights charity, Peta, is running a competition to encourage people to create a vegan alternative to wool.
Sounds interesting! Tell me more.
While wool is a natural fibre and therefore biodegradable, Peta has raised issues with some of the farming methods that come with raising sheep for their wool.
The charity hopes that this competition will encourage people to explore new alternatives to sheep wool that don’t require animals to be involved in the process.
Hang on, don’t we already have vegan wool?
Yes, there are already some preexisting alternatives, such as ‘wool’ made from lyocell (Tencel) and bamboo, both of which are environmentally friendly and safe for workers involved in the creation process.
However, Peta's hope with this competition is that it will encourage people to look beyond wool to more innovative methods, and inspire people to think outside of the box.
But it’s a competition, right? What do we get?
The deadline for initial entries is July 2023 to submit a fabric sample and production plan. After that, they will be encouraged to partner with “at least one of the top 10 global clothing retail brands” to sell their products by January 2024.
The competition comes with a $1m (£860,500) prize, which would be a huge win!
This article aligns with the UN SDG Responsible Consumption and Production.
