Sustainability

Why It’s
Important to Us

Sustainable Wool & Sourcing Practices

Smartwool started because we wanted to help people spend more time in the outdoors.

natural fibers are one of the benefits of merino wool socks
sustainable wool starts with ensuring sheep are treated humanely

We believe that, to make sure we can continue to share nature with others, we need to help ensure that the beauty and resources of our environment will be around for generations to come. For us, that means making more sustainable clothing.

So we’re taking action in everything we do, from our product development to our supply chain, to make sure that we are actively creating more sustainable wool and sourcing solutions for our brand and the industry. We’re partnering with ZQ Merino to ensure the sheep that produce our wool are treated humanely, the wool growers are treated fairly, and the farms work to minimize their impact on the environment. We are also helping protect the areas and activities we love by partnering with advocacy organizations that align with our values.

What We’re Doing

Partnering With the Right People

We partner with organizations like ZQ Merino. They focus on creating practices that not only watch out for the environment and Merino sheep, but also create a sustainable economy for our growers to ensure their way of life. Learn more about our valuable partnership here.

Re-Evaluating Our Supply Chain

We discovered that we had an opportunity to take garment scraps from our Merino 250 base layers and use them in the insulation of our Smartloft products. This opened the door to scrutinizing and re-evaluating every step in our supply chain. We want to take every chance we can to make sure there are no missed opportunities to make sustainable wool clothes and socks.

Making Clothes From Recycled and Natural Materials

We’re using Recycled Wool Fiber in some of our fleeces to further reduce our impact without losing the performance benefits of wool. We’re also incorporating recycled poly and nylon in our Merino Sport collection, as well as hemp blends and cotton in featured products—because when we add other fibers and materials to our Merino, we want them to be as sustainable as possible.

Improving Our Manufacturing

We’re always searching for new ways to implement more sustainable manufacturing practices. Recently, we unveiled our innovative Intraknit™ technology—a 3D-knitting technique that results in less waste than traditional cut and sew methods, all the while revolutionizing the base layer industry. Additionally, our Merino Sport fleeces now feature a non-PFC DWR for more eco-conscious weather protection—in an effort to produce performance gear that’s as responsible as possible.

What We Plan to Do

Incorporate more sustainable fibers and processes:

We already use natural fibers that are sustainably sourced as a foundation for everything we do. But we do incorporate some synthetic and man-made fibers to add strength and enhance the performance of our gear. We are currently looking at new ways to design our products to make more sustainable wool clothes and socks without sacrificing fit, durability, and comfort.

We are focused on reducing the impact of each product. From the DWR (durable water repellent) we source to the way we wash our wool, our goal is to incorporate a sustainability philosophy across all practices. We want to be a brand that minimizes our impact on the environment. We don’t want to take anything for granted.

Natural Fibers are the foundation for our sustainable wool