Understanding our Materials

For full transparency, we have created this web page with information on our key materials including:

  • Their origin
  • Their natural vs synthetic properties
  • Their environmental impact

We do all of this so you can make an informed purchase.


Australian Superfine Merino Wool

Basics

Australian Superfine Merino Wool is produced by Merino Sheep raised & farmed in Australia. The wool is removed from sheep regularly through humane shearing that does not cause pain. A single sheep can produce upwards of 6kg of Merino wool per year. The average life span is 6-12 years.

Merino wool has the following natural properties:

  • Water resistant
  • UV resistant
  • Heat regulation (keep you cool in summer, warm in winter)

Merino wool is a natural wool that is spun into yarn. This yarn is then sewn to create products such as clothing or hats. Wool is naturally a beige colour, many of our manufacturers add non-toxic dyes to change this colour.

Sustainability

Merino wool is a 100% natural material meaning it easily breaks back down without leaving anything behind. Merino wool is:

  1. Recyclable
  2. Compostable
  3. Biodegradable

Negative impacts of Merino Wool include:

  • Carbon output of sheep farming (a sheep can produce 30 litres of Methane per day, in comparison a dairy cow produces approximately 200 litres per day)
  • Merino wool is an animal product, making it not suitable for vegans
  • Sheep require grazing land, which can increase deforestation

Cellulose Acetate, Bio-Acetate & Bio-Plastic

Basics

Cellulose Acetate is the result of mixing cellulose polymers (derived from wood pulp) with acetic anhyride (an acid).

Once Cellulose Acetate has been produced, many manufacturers then add plasticisers to the material and form it into a range of products (such as glasses, hair clips and more).

The main countries where Cellulose Acetate are manufactured are Italy, China and Korea.

Cellulose Acetate has similar durability properties to petroleum based plastics and will last many years when taken care of.

Sustainability

Both components of Cellulose Acetate are biodegradable and compostable (although they can take up to a year to break down in home composts).

Negative impacts of Cellulose Acetate include:

  • Minimal regulations on production in China in terms of environmental waste from the manufacturing process itself (we prefer to use Cellulose Acetate from manufacturers like Mazzucchelli in Italy).
  • Many manufacturers add plasticisers which makes those products not biodegradable and/or compostable. (Mazzucchelli use plasticisers from plant origins to avoid this)
  • Emissions from travel of these materials (1. Manufacturer, 2. Supplier 3. Retailer)

Wood & Paper

Basics

Wood and paper products are a sourced from trees that are cut down & milled to create usable materials.

We only ever stock products made with FSC certified wood or post-consumer recycled paper/wood.

FSC is The Forest Stewardship Council who have a global certification program to ensure wood is being sourced responsibly. This certification covers Forest Management and Chain of Custody to ensure the entire supply chain is responsible, transparent and sustainable.

Post-consumer wood and paper refers to products that have been recycled from products that were already in society.

Sustainability

The FSC certification of wood is highly rigorous and must be maintained by suppliers for us to stock their products.

Using post-consumer recycled wood and paper also extends the lifetime of the material and reduces wastage - creating a circular life of the product, a key pinnacle of sustainable production.

Wood and paper are both 100% natural materials and will break down naturally when not coated with plastics. Natural wood and paper is compostable, recyclable and biodegradable.

The carbon stored in trees when they are cut down is not released - meaning it will store that carbon for its lifetime until it breaks down.

Negative impacts of wood/paper:

  • Direct results of deforestation
  • If plastics or toxic dyes are added they are not compostable or biodegradable
  • Wood products will degrade quicker without plastics, giving them a shorter lifespan and increasing waste
  • Forestry operations can have high carbon outputs

Recycled Plastic

Basics

Recycled plastics can cover a lot of manufacturing processes and sources.

At the foundation - recycled plastics refer to materials and textiles created directly from plastic products/materials that have been reduced back down to plastic beads and re-formed into new products.

The Bare Style Co stocks recycled plastics that have been sourced from a range of other products like fishing nets salvaged from the ocean, discarded plastic in landfills and voluntarily recycled plastic from manufacturers and consumers.

The process of recycling plastics is now very prevalent in the manufacturing world.

Sustainability

Recycled plastics are a great way to maintain a circular economy within the manufacturing of products.

By re-purposing discarded or wasted plastics, we are:

  1. extending the lifetime of the plastic
  2. preventing wastage of the plastic
  3. reducing the amount of plastic trash in our environment
  4. preventing the production of virgin plastics

Recycled plastics can also directly impact the reduction of trash in our environment. Many of our products are made from plastic that has been purposefully removed from oceans and landfills.

Most plastic can be recycled almost infinitely, meaning if we recycled all the plastic in the environment now - we wouldn't need to create any more.

Negative impacts of recycled plastic:

  • Re-manufacturing plastics means extra emissions for each plastic piece
  • At the end of their life, the plastics will still break down into microplastics.
  • Recycled plastic textiles can release microplastics with use (washing machine etc)