Forget cashmere or alpaca. There are surprising benefits to yak wool that you need to know about!
By Chere Di Boscio
We all know about alpaca. It’s usually ethically sourced from herders in the Andes, where alpacas are indigenous and help regenerate soil with their dung. Luxury lovers will be aware of the world’s most expensive ecological fibre – vicuña – which also comes from the Andes. And of course, we know about cashmere – which is not usually sourced ethically, unfortunately, and which can have a negative impact on the planet.
But did you know about yak wool?
What is yak wool, exactly?
This may well be one of the most ethical and ecological wools yet.
Though it’s sometimes referred to as ‘baby yak wool’, it doesn’t come from babies, in fact. It’s actually just the plush under layer of fur that yaks grow in the winter to protect against the fearsome Himalayan chill, which sometimes plunges as low as -40˚F.
This wool is incredibly soft and fine. Plus, yak fibres are hollow, allowing them to retain heat and provide a high warmth-to-weight ratio. This wool is also easier to care for and far more durable than cashmere. Bonus! But the benefits of yak wool don’t end there.
It’s particularly lovely in its natural state. Colours range from ivory and tan to grey and black. But of course, this ethical wool can be dyed, too.
So far, so green. But is yak wool ethically sourced, too?
Where does it come from?
It’s an unfortunate fact that since the Chinese invasion, Tibetans have been badly affected. Their culture and way of life is under serious threat. But there’s one thing that remains constant: yak breeding.
Yaks have been bred by nomadic herding families in high-altitude, low-population regions of Asia for millennia. Because they require very little food to survive and aren’t confined to small plots of land, their impact on the environment is tiny.
And another of the benefits of yak wool is that sourcing it is so easy! When temperatures heat up in the spring, these animals start to shed the super-fine fibres of their undercoat. These are then turned into wool. These huge animals then just live their mountain lives until the next season. Easy peasy!
“We hand comb fibres during the spring when the yak naturally moults. Yaks are not harmed in any way. In fact, we are working with industry leaders to develop the first international animal welfare standard,” says the founder of Shokay, an ethical yak wool company.
Selling yak wool also helps Tibetan (and also Mongolian nomadic) herders make a living, and preserves their traditional ways of life. “We source directly from Tibetan herders and have helped increase their fibre income by increasing both the value and market demand of yak fibre,” says Shokay. Those herders are also paid fair trade wages.
The benefits of yak wool
Yak wool has many benefits. In short, it’s:
- cruelty free
- ethically sourced
- biodegradable
- anti bacterial
- easy to care for
- very warm
- versatile
Let’s look at these in more detail below.
Yak wool is an environmentally sound choice for clothing. Unlike synthetic clothing made from fabrics like acrylic or polyester, it’s biodegradable. This means it doesn’t sit forever in landfills or leach microplastics into the environment the way petroleum based materials do.
Thanks to its moisture-wicking properties, yak wool doesn’t trap sweat, which means no nasty smells linger on yak wool garments.
One of the other benefits of yak wool is that it discourages bacterial and mould growth. This means that yak wool garments can go longer without washing than say, synthetics or even cashmere. Which makes it even more environmentally friendly!
Another of the benefits of yak wool is its versatility. For example, it can replace (very cruel!!!) duck and goose down in duvets and jackets. The coarser hairs that are not suitable for making super soft sweaters are usually discarded. But they can instead be used stuff such items as jackets, duvets, and even pillows. This means zero waste, making yak wool even more eco friendly.
Why yak is different from other wools
There is a growing awareness that other types of wool, such as cashmere, shetland, and mohair, aren’t great for the planet – or for animals. But yak wool has benefits the others don’t.
For example, cashmere, while highly valued for its luxurious feel, lacks durability and is hard to care for. It’s prone to damage by moths, and since cashmere goats rip up vegetation from the ground when they eat, cashmere is not considered eco-friendly. Mohair, derived from the angora goat, can sometimes be coarser and less insulating than its counterparts.
Shetland wool, although known for its warmth and insulation, may not offer the same level of softness and comfort as yak wool.
And the truth is – both sheep and goats are often kept in terrible conditions and are brutally sheared for their wool. Yaks, on the other hand, only live in the wild, and are brushed, not sheared.
Finally, yak wool is 30% warmer and more breathable than even the finest cashmere.
Conclusions
There is growing concern about where our clothing comes from. Not just who made our clothes, and how they were paid, but what material they made it from.
Though animal fibres are usually biodegradable, truly eco-fashionistas want to know more than that. For example: were the animals at all harmed in the sourcing of their wool? Was the wool dyed? If so, were natural dyes used? Were the animals in question bred it favourable conditions, or better yet, rounded up in the wild? Or were they kept in factory-farm type barns, where they never see the light of day?
Yak wool pretty much ticks all the ethical boxes. And it’s soft and beautiful. That’s why the next time I’m in the market for anything from a scarf to a blanket, a sweater to a beanie – I’ll be considering the benefits of buying yak wool over cashmere, sheep’s wool, or even alpaca.
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