The next generation of recycled wool by Manteco®
MWool® is the key ingredient of our premium and circular recycled wool textiles
This low-impact and high-end fiber is the result of more than 80 years of circular know-how, innovation and science. We have taken a 200-year old technique and taken it to the next level. MWool® stands out for an accurate selection and deep testing of the best possible raw materials, a cutting-edge and low-impact mechanical recycling process of pre- and post-consumer garments and scraps, a masterful and dyes-free color creation through our Recype® process, a painstaking quality control and testing, all guaranteed by our MSystem zero-mile and highly specialized supply chain. MWool® is the first-ever recycled wool with a Life Cycle Assessment that was approved by scientific community, certified according to the EPD® Environmental Product Declaration and scored by the Higg Materials Sustainability Index.
The reasons why MWool® is the next generation of recycled wool
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It is as valuable as virgin wool
MWool® is a guarantee in terms of quality and durability, thanks to a great selection and testing of raw materials and a masterful and innovative recycling process. MWool® features all the natural characteristics of virgin wool: it is soft, breathable, elastic, wrinkle, odour and stain resistant; thermo regulating, fire and UV resistant. Plus, all the yarns and fabrics made with MWool® must undergo and pass the same tests as virgin wool fabrics, in order to guarantee the same features, but with the lowest impact possible.
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It is fully circular and zero-waste
MWool® eliminates the need to use new wool by making the most of what’s already been produced. It is a raw material that fosters an all-round circular economy, as it is made by mechanically recycling industrial waste, pre-consumer scraps and leftovers, and post-consumer garments.
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It is Global Recycled Standard-certified
MWool® is GRS-certified. Global Recycled Standard certifies each stage of production to verify recycled content in materials and products, ensuring traceability and respect for social and environmental standards.
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It is extremely low-impact and assessed by science-based studies
MWool®, compared to generic virgin wool fibers, impacts 99,2% less on climate change, 99,9% less on water use and 93,3% less on total energy consumption. MWool® fibers' low impacts were calculated with a life cycle assessment, in accordance with the international standard UNI EN ISO 14040, UNI EN ISO 14044 and UNI EN ISO 14025. This study was also approved by the scientific community and published as a scientific article on MDPI. MWool® fibers' low impacts also received their Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) score, and MWool® yarns' low impacts were calculated and certified according to the international EPD® scheme, in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025.
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It is sustainably colorful, with no added dyes and chemicals
MWool® is available in more than 1000 colors, which are obtained without added chemicals and dyes through our Recype® color creation process, just by mixing numerous and different shades of recycled wool fibers, developing actual ‘recipes’ of no-dye colors, which are archived and adapted to the kgs of yarns that need to be produced.
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It is produced in a specialized and local supply chain
MWool® is created and turned into circular, premium textiles within our MSystem supply chain, a unique network of 50+ expert textile businesses located within an area of 10 miles from our headquarter. Our supply chain is in the Prato textile district, in Tuscany, which has been recycling wool since the 1850s and is therefore a guarantee of scalability, reliability and quality.
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It is biodegradable
According to the IWTO, due to its high percentage of nitrogen, wool will biodegrade within one year. It has been shown, in an external and certified scientific lab, that a 100% MWool® fabric is completely biodegradable and will naturally decompose in soil. After 140 days, the sample reaches a biodegradation value equal to 94,2% “absolute” after the plateau has been reached in accordance with UNI EN 13432:2002.
MWool® fibers' life cycle assessment was approved by the scientific community and published as a scientific article
After years of assessments and in-depth studies, we managed to achieve a certified Life Cycle Assessment calculation for our MWool® fibers. Our study, in collaboration with the prestigious Politenico di Torino, develops an environmental analysis of recycled wool fibers through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. A parallel LCA is developed for virgin wool fibers too, in order to obtain a data-based comparison. Deep analyses have been carried out to capture the uncertainty associated with virgin fibers’ impacts and to evaluate how MWool® impacts vary according to the origin and treatment of recycled textiles. Results show that recycled wool fibers have significantly lower environmental impacts than virgin fibers, even when the most unfavorable scenarios are considered. Find the MDPI scientific article here.
MWool® yarns' low impacts were also calculated and certified according to the international EPD® scheme
An EPD® is a certified Environmental Product Declaration, which trasparently reports environmental data over the life cycle of products in accordance with the international standard ISO 14025. MWool® yarns are the first-ever recycled wool yarns to obtain this certification and, since May 27th, 2022, it is available here. Why is the EPD® so important? Because it is based on the international ISO standards, assuring international use, acceptability and continuity; it is based on scientific principles for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and approved through independent verification; it is based on specific rules for different product groups (PCR) ensuring that EPDs within the same category of products are calculated and presented in the same way; it provides a tool for communicating additional information such as social responsibility, quality control and environmental management.
MWool® fibers' low impacts also received their Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) score
The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) is the apparel industry’s most trusted tool to measure and score the environmental impacts of materials. Apparel, footwear, and textile industry designers and product developers can use the Higg MSI to assess and compare the crade-to-gate impacts of different materials, such as textiles, plastics, metals, and leather. The Higg MSI uses data submitted from the industry and life cycle assessment databases to calculate environmental impacts and translate them into comparable Higg MSI scores.
In 2022, thanks to MWool®, we have produced numerous circular fabrics while saving a lot of resources:
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3.151.724 WOOL GARMENTS WERE SAVED FROM LANDFILLS AND GIVEN A NEW LIFE
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1.190.000.000 KGS OF CO₂ EMISSIONS, WHICH IS THE WEIGHT OF 4018 BOEING 737
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219.000.000 M³ OF WATER, THE EQUIVALENT OF 8760 OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOLS
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