Because of our choice to use ultrafine Merino wool, the best and highest quality of Merino wool, the only viable origin is Australia. Of course there are other countries that breed Merino sheep. Even here in the north of Munich we have the possibility to visit our woolly friends from April till October.
Where does the Merino wool come from and why?
However, Australian Merino farmers have continuously improved the farming of Merino wool during the past 200 years. Today, Australia has the most advanced wool industry. Additionally, in southern Australia, the perfect environmental conditions come together with modern minded farmers that often have the goal to leave their land in a better condition than when they arrived.
We deeply care about our woolly friends and only source wool certified according to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). So we make sure, that the sheeps are treated well and our products are mulesing free.
Where we produce and why?
We know that having a "Made in Europe" stamp is the popular choice as promoted by many sustainable cloth labels. While Europe might be the best choice for many products, this is not the case for all products. It is particularly not the best choice for our products. Our garments are made in China and we do not hide this information from you.
Here the reasons why we made that choice:
FIRST
At lius&friends we stand for uncompromised quality! We require our partner to be specialised in both baby garments and high-performance cloths. Nowadays, specialised producers from China are the choice when it comes to these specific requirements. Our partner comes with more than 30 years experience and their references span the big names for Merino wool products.
SECOND
Our ultrafine merino wool exclusively originates from Australia (see above). A detour through China is reasonable from an environmental point of view. We analysed the hard facts and manufacturing in Europe vs. China comes with roughly the same ecological footprint - particularly due to the origin of the wool.
THIRD
China is also known as "the world's factory" and has a very strong business ecosystem. That means a huge network of suppliers, component manufacturers and distributors. This makes our supply chain even more efficient and eco-friendly.