It has become de rigeur for foodies to know whence their table fare came. Now an outdoor clothing producer has opened its business wide so that consumers can trace their clothes back to their origin.
And it's not an oil well.
Unlike the outdoor wear that is made from oil-based synthetics, Icebreaker, a small outdoor-apparel business based in New Zealand, uses merino wool, a lightweight, strong and silky-soft natural fabric, for all of its clothes.
Merino, of course, comes off the backs of sheep. These particular sheep live the good life in the southern Alps of New Zealand, where the temperatures range from really cold to really hot. As a result, these big-horned beauties have evolved to have a super-fine, super-thick fleece. The fine fibres allow it to breathe in the hot summer months, while the thick winter coat keeps them warm.
"The fibre was designed by nature to keep the animal alive in these conditions," said Robbie Stevens, the company's director of sales in Vancouver.
Those fine fibres aren't itchy because they flex when they come in contact with skin.
Italian designers have long used merino for men's suits and fine sweaters, but now it is gaining a lot of traction in the active-wear world because it's so great at wicking moisture and holding warmth if you are caught in a downpour.
"I'm a triathlete and I grew up on synthetics," said Dean Milner, store manager at Eco Outdoor Sports on Granville. "But now I would be hard-pressed to wear them. Merino works with the body to regulate temperature. It wicks away moisture at the vapour stage."
Mountain Equipment Co-op sells merino products that can't be traced back. But customers love the fabric, says Evan Sklarski, a front-line staffer. "What we have sells like wild. It's the sort of thing that once you try it, you are convinced."
Sklarski says merino clothes are more versatile than synthetics and can be used both summer and winter. Humans have yet to invent a fibre so perfect. But like the foodies, outdoor enthusiasts like to know that they are wearing products that are sustainably and ethically produced. And they are often willing to pay extra for that.
That's where Icebreaker's latest initiative comes in. Each Icebreaker item now comes with a code that the consumer can punch into the computer to trace the garment through every step of the production process, beginning with the sheep station in New Zealand. It's called the "Baa-code."
Stevens says Icebreaker stakes its business on ethical practices and sustainability. Rather than buying the fabric already manufactured as most garment makers do, Icebreaker signed long-term contracts with 120 sheep farmers in New Zealand. That gave the farmers security and allowed the company to insist that the sheep are raised humanely.
It forbids the use of museling, for example, a cruel practice in which the skin around the sheep's backside is removed, causing scarring, in an effort to prevent what is called flystrike, a potentially deadly infestation of fly larvae. Instead, the contracted farmers shear the backsides at appropriate times to control the infestations.
Icebreaker also has a say in how many head of sheep are put on a range, to prevent over-grazing.
"What we are doing is not opening the door to be torn apart [by animal rights activists or environmentalists]," says Stevens. "We don't want to undermine the integrity of the brand."
So you punch in the Baa-code, and if it says your shirt came from Branch Creek Station in the Cardrona Valley, up pops this grizzled New Zealand farmer named Ray Anderson whose long grey beard kind of resembles sheep's wool. Against a gorgeous backdrop, made famous in the Lord of the Rings movies, he explains how he is the fourth generation of his family to have raised the sheep there. Now his daughter and son-in-law are the fifth.
"This [tracing back] is a first in the garment industry," Stevens said. Sometimes the Baa-code will identify four stations from which your wool came. You can learn about each one of them -- how many sheep they have on how many acres, how long the farmers have been there, how much wool they produce, and what kind of life they lead.
Stevens says it can't always be narrowed down to one sheep station and definitely not to one sheep, because the bales get blended as they are cleaned, carded and spun. The site also has quite an expansive view into its manufacturing process in Shanghai and the efforts the company takes to ensure the process uses the cleanest technology available.
