The Sustainable Journey of Mohair

The mohair industry has seen a decade of development in two short years – or two very long years, depending on how you choose to see it. The evolution of consumers has put pressure on the manufacturing sector as a whole, especially on the luxury fashion industry. They are becoming increasingly sensitive to the effect their purchases may have. They want to know the people behind the product, and they want assurance that they are not playing any part in harming the environment and, in the case of natural fibres, the animals involved. This ever-shifting focus toward the wellbeing of life and land has made sustainability and ethical practices the number one non-negotiable in the modern world, and the mohair industry could not allow itself to fall behind.

We understood that sustainability was not a quick-fix, but rather a journey in ultimately changing the underlying culture of the industry over time. 2009 saw the launch of the Sustainable Mohair Production Guidelines, a solid foundation that gave us a competitive edge heading into the future.

A decade later, and with the groundwork in place, we identified the need to adapt further if we were going to drive the required changes within the industry. The first step in this new part of our journey was to find the right partners that were not only credible and respected internationally, but also had experience in developing and executing standards within natural fibre. Global fashion brands had to be included, as they represent a critical stakeholder within the value chain.

Enter Textile Exchange, a global non-profit that works closely with brands to drive industry transformation in preferred fibres, in terms of integrity and standards, and responsible supply networks. Working with them immediately took our progress to a whole new level.

Their approach was progressive, inclusive and thorough. The 24-month process saw engagement with hundreds of stakeholders, which included farmers, mohair traders, processors, spinners, luxury brands from across the world, as well as leading experts in sustainability standards, and incredibly valuable input from the South African mohair industry’s own veterinarian, Dr Mackie Hobson.

And after two very short (or long) years, the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) was officially launched in March 2020.

Hanna Denes, senior manager of standards at Textile Exchange, said the core focus of the RMS is healthy and well cared for Angora goats.

“The Responsible Mohair Standard verifies and identifies mohair produced in farming systems that respect animal welfare and the environment. Strong assurance systems are applied and regular

audits are performed on farms, before the material is tracked to the final product. The RMS is designed to ensure that animal welfare outcomes are delivered, and that the goats are treated humanely.”

Mohair South African general manager Lindsay Humphreys said that while the journey was

Image by Riaan Marais

not always easy, having the right people to support this cause made it easier, and the end result was well worth the effort. “We worked closely with the Textile Exchange team and, over this period, our organisation built enormous respect for Textile Exchange and what they stand for. “We found that while the journey was a professional one, we developed close relationships with their team and deep respect for their process and approach.”

Every link in the value chain was part of the RMS development, they supported the process, and all those links now have to play their part to ensure the success of the new standard.

Farmers need to adapt their practices in line with the animal welfare, environmental management and social welfare requirements set out in the RMS, while every other entity between the farm and endproduct needs to adhere to their own strict protocols to ensure full sustainability and traceability of the fibre. To put it plainly, launching the new standard did not flip a switch and instantaneously activate a booming supply of RMS fibre. This is merely the start of yet another journey – one that will need the continued support from all stakeholders.

“Every industry, company and individual has a responsibility to work towards a more responsible and sustainable future, taking the environment, its animals and its people into considerations. Sustainability is not a decision, it’s a journey, taken one step at a time,” said Humphreys.

Innovations along the way

With the mohair industry shifting almost its entire focus toward sustainability, we were given some unique opportunities to

showcase not only our fibre, but our landscape, practices and the people behind the scenes.

Dr Mackie Hobson, the industry’s veterinarian, played an invaluable role not only during the development of our new standards, but in assisting our mohair producers in understanding what the new standards mean.

Through the South African Mohair Growers’ Association (SAMGA) Dr Hobson was involved in the production of a series of Best Practice videos. These videos explain crucial parts of the dayto-day activities on an Angora goat farm, and is intended as educational material for farmers and farmworkers, to ensure that they adhere to the requirements of the RMS. Subjects like the proper handling of goats, how to administer certain treatments, and the shearing of goats are just some of the important aspects touched on in these videos. These videos were uploaded onto YouTube, and can be viewed by farmers and any interested parties. With the help of virtual reality (VR) technology we were also able to take our farms abroad. During the 2019 Textile Exchange Sustainability Conference, held in Vancouver, the team from Mohair South Africa took VR headsets along, allowing conference goers to ‘experience’ goats being dipped and shorn as if they were on the farm themselves.

This proved to be very popular and more applications for VR are being explored for the future. And on the local front these tools and have been a great addition to the training and development programs the industry already had in place.

Mohair market

The 2019 mohair summer season started at the same level as the last sale of the 2018 winter season. Throughout the summer season the demand for finer mohair was high, driven by the kid-mohair sector, which closed 15% higher than the start of the season. The summer season had its challenges with foot in mouth decease prohibiting the export of mohair to China for a period of time, which specifically affected the strong adult mohair sector,

Image by Riaan Marais

closing down 7% from the start of the season. Overall, the average market indicator for the 2019 summer season was R285.74 per kg and the market closed 2.4% higher than at the start of the summer season. A highest summer price of R801.10 per kg was paid for a bale of 23-micron super style kid mohair through the official auction system. When the market opened for the 2019 Mohair winter season, the world economy was in a dip, which impacted the mohair market directly as can be seen in figure 1. The continuous trade war between the USA and China put a lot of pressure on the adult mohair sector as the Chinese buyers’ markets were low in confidence, which reduced their appetite to purchase mohair. The fine adult sector closed down 16% and the strong adult sector closed down 11% from the first sale of the winter season. The demand and price for the finer mohair remained stable with the kid sector closing 1% higher than the start of the winter season. The average market indicator for the winter season came in at R224.74 per kg, which is 9% lower when compared to the first sale of the winter season. A highest winter price of R551.10 per kg was paid for a bale of 25-micron good style kid mohair through the official auction system. A comparison of the clip composition between 2018 and 2019 can be seen in figure 2, which indicates some minor

Image by Amy Scheepers

changes. Strong adult mohair decreased by 5%, fine adult mohair increased by 3% and kid mohair also increased by 1%.

The buyers, share of the market, indicated in figure 3, remained fairly constant from 2018, with top makers taking up 75% of the market and the greasy buyers 25% of the market share.

Italy remains the leader in mohair imports from South Africa, importing 38% of the total South African mohair exported. China’s figures reduced dramatically due to reasons mentioned above, but still remains the second biggest importer of South African Mohair (18%). Taiwan’s figures increased by 24% and they are now the third biggest importer of South African Mohair (14%).Overall, the export

of mohair has reduced from 2018 to 2019 as can be seen in Figure 4.

The South African mohair clip is estimated at around 2.08-million kilograms for the 2019 year, which is 7.14% down from 2018. This is mainly due to the extreme drought conditions experienced over most of the production area. The majority of the mohair production areas have received much needed rain early in 2020; however, it does take time to recover from such a lengthy drought.

The main focus for the South African mohair industry is sustainability and producing fibres within an ethical environment. The substantial journey of developing an internationally recognised mohair standard, the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS), started in 2018. Mohair South Africa worked hand in hand with Textile Exchange, a global non-profit organisation, throughout 2019, and finally launching the standard in March 2020. The goals of the Responsible Mohair Standard are to provide the industry with tools to recognise the best practices of farmers and to ensure that mohair comes from farms with a progressive approach to land management, animal welfare and social responsibility. Beyond the farm, it also aims to provide a system of traceability throughout the entire value chain – from farm to finished product. This is what the International and National brands require to purchase mohair.

Mohair South Africa will continue to treat sustainability as a journey, which we will continue to grow and improve on.

Figure 1: Figure 2:

Figure 3:

Figure 4:

SGS new online testing service

Jeremy Wear

In 2020 SGS introduced an online testing servicethat is accurate and easy to use. ‘This service is now fully operational and provides an easy to use step-by-step process for both buyers and sellers of wool and other fibres’, says

Jeremy Wear, manager SGS Wool

Testing Wellington New Zealand.

Wool testing provides valuable information to the processor, helps them process the fibre efficiently, and identifies which products to which this fibre is best suited.’ Greasy and scoured wool sellers can no longer afford to sell from the sheep’s back without testing certification. Wool offered for sale with wool testing certification will always attract a premium price’.

This online service starts as soon as the request for sampling is made by the customer.An electronic certificate will be generated on completion of the test and sent to the client by direct email. ‘We have special arrangements with major courier groups, and sending samples for testing is quick and hassle free’, comments Jeremy Wear.

SGS provides independent wool testing and it is carried out to IWTO test method requirements. Its testing services include Yield (woolbase and vegetable matter), Mean Fiber Diameter, and Color, as well as Staple Length and Strength, bulk, fibre curvature, fibre diameter distribution, diameter-length profile, and medullation. ‘Many wool growers, wool cooperatives, and textile companies around the world, including in Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, and the Nordic Region, use SGS Wool Testing Services. SGS is well known, well recognised, and trusted’, comments Jeremy Wear.

‘We have the ability to reach wool companies in just about every country around the world from any one of our 2600 offices and laboratories. Communicating with a local SGS office, in your own language, provides for an easy, simple, fast, and inexpensive service.’

Alpaca/Fleece/FlockTesting

SGS also offers a special online testing service to breeders. Tests available include Micron (average diameter), Staple length and strength, length-diameter profile, and yield, with simple online credit cardpayment.

‘Fleece Testing is sampling from individual animals for breeding selection purposes. This is very popular with animal owners in helping improve their fibre quality. With Fleece Testing we test greasy samples using a variety of lowcost methods that are specifically designed for animal selection purposes’, outlines Jeremy Wear.

‘We have been testing wool for over 50 years and we are the only testing house that provides testing from greasy wool all the way to finished garments. We can provide inspection, verification, testing and certification services – anywhere in the world’.

The SGS range of services and technical information can be viewed online at www. wooltesting.sgs.com Information about online services is available at https://onlineservices.sgs. com/nz and SGS offices around the world are listed on https:// www.sgs.com/en/office-directory Jeremy Wear and his customer services can be contacted at woolonline@sgs.com

GREASY WOOL, SCOURED WOOL, COMMISSION SCOURING

COMPETITIVE PRICE AND PROMPT DELIVERY

Impartial Wool Testing Services and Guaranteed Certification

Atest result is only as good as the test method used to produce it, which is the reason why we are very proud of the accreditation we hold to the international standard ISO 17025:2017, and our status as an IWTO accredited laboratory. “Wool Testing Authority Europe only use IWTO approved test methods and have been issuing certificates to the wool industry in Europe, including the UK, since 2004. Our accreditation is assessed annually by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) from which we receive outstanding reports,” commented their Managing Director, Courtney Pye. She goes on to say: “2019/2020 has been a challenging year, with many political and economic factors having their effects on the wool industry. It is difficult to know what the future may bring as we head further into 2020, but one thing we can guarantee is that Wool Testing Authority Europe Ltd will be here offering our expert services to our clients and anyone else who requires our services”.

Wool Testing Authority Europe are also members of the ILRT group which consists of other test houses located in the Southern Hemisphere, namely Australian Wool Testing Authority, New Zealand Wool Testing Authority

Courtney Pye

and Wool Testing Bureau South Africa. Participation in these trials ensures that test results issued worldwide are harmonised and gives our clientele further assurance of WTAE being Europe’s leading wool test house.

WTAE can offer an impartial sampling service throughout Europe. By being in control of the entire testing process, from sampling through to the issue of a test certificate, WTAE offer a completely impartial service, which is fundamental to the core of the business. Wool buyers and sellers can be fully confident that this impartial service, coupled with WTAE’s technical ability and excellent round trial performance, gives certified results that can be relied upon time and time again. “Predicting buying trends can be difficult, so making the correct commercial choices is very important. Testing with WTAE, and obtaining IWTO Certified wool shipments, buyers can be confident that the tested parameters provide an accurate reflection of processing performance”, Courtney comments.

We are also able to offer a test report service. Test reports can be used if impartial sampling is not possible and the client has to take and submit their own samples to the laboratory. All samples are still tested in accordance with the testing regulations, and reports generated offer a lot of valuable information that would otherwise have been unknown by the merchant. Our test report service is very popular with many of our European clients and is used frequently.

WTAE offers an Online Certificate Verification service, which provides confirmation to wool users that the details on the IWTO Test Certificate or Test Report in their possession are correct. By entering the Test Number, Verification Code and email address in the appropriate boxes the wool user will receive a PDF copy of the certificate in return. This will enable a rapid comparison and verification that the documents they hold, and the results in the WTAE database, are the same.

Visit our website for more information: www.wtaeurope. com. Alternatively, email us at info@wtaeurope.com.

Impartial Wool Testing Services. Guaranteed Certification for a Range of IWTO Test Methods.

www.wtaeurope.com

Approved samplers located throughout Europe IWTO licenced laboratory UKAS accreditation Test report services available Member of ILRT group of laboratories

WTAE Ltd, Cibyn Industrial Estate, Caernarfon, UK, LL55 2BD Tel: +44 (0)1286 678 097 • Email: info@wtaeurope.com