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The wool is a convenience store for Swedish sheep breeders. Most of them are thrown away, while Sweden imports wool for millions of people. But now, Swedish clothing brands are starting to make the eyes of the national wool.
"It's like dancing," said the Magnus Wuolo lawn mower. While with calm, regular hands, he turns a thank you while the wool falls in shock.
The farmer Tomas Olsson gathers wool and sorts according to a fairly simple system.
"I can only distinguish black and white, good and bad," he laughs.
According to the Animal Welfare Act, sheep must be cut once a year, a pure payday for farmers who can not be paid enough for wool that covers the cost of cutting. Previously, Tomas Olsson had donated wool. Others throw wool or destroy it. At the same time, Sweden imports over a thousand tons of wool a year.
The Norrby farm in Kungsör is one of the largest sheep farms in the country, with around a thousand animals. Lamb meat is the focus of concern, but Tomas Olsson thinks it's a pity to let the wool get lost.
Previously, it was the lamb that was a byproduct for sheep breeders, now that is wool. At the same time, no authority has overall responsibility for wool. The Swedish Agency for Growth believes it belongs to green industries and refers to the Swedish Board of Agriculture, which in turn considers it a by-product.
Tomas Olsson hopes that more people will look on Swedish wool as more and more people start asking for Swedish meat.
"I hope that consumers will start asking for Swedish wool, otherwise we will continue to throw it away.
The lack of organization and the lack of a Swedish wool standard is a problem for companies wishing to use Swedish wool. Jodi Everding, Material Manager at Filippa K, sees a huge potential in Swedish wool but also believes that the wool industry needs to be developed to meet the demand.
"It's something that makes us feel good, we are a Swedish brand and it is important to support Swedish industry, so we can also destroy lives in an industry and manage something that was previously treated as a waste.
Filippa K, with the Røyk open-pit brand, bought wool on the Norrby farm and sees a wide range of advantages in wool from Swedish sheep. The wool itself is an environmentally friendly alternative and it is not necessary for Swedish wool to be advertised here on the other side of the world as wool that we use today. ; hui.
– Plus, there is an economic gain. Wool prices have risen in recent years and suppliers to whom I spoke have said they do not know when they would plan. So it's good with another source.
The founder of Röjks, Jan Betros, also stressed the environmental aspect as one of the main reasons to use Swedish wool.
"We have a strong environmental concern, the wool is produced and decomposed naturally and is not harmful to the environment.
The road between freshly cut wool and finished clothes is long. It should be cleaned and washed then sent to the spin. Next fall, the idea is that the first Swedish woolen Röjk garment is in store.
"It's ambition and I think it's impossible," Jan Betros says.
Filippa K will first use wool for outerwear, the next step will be to knit clothes like shirts, says Jodi Everding.
"At the moment, everything is in the testing phase, but if we think about it optimistically, the first clothes will arrive next fall, but we do not insist on finding the right process.
Import and export of wool
Last year, 1200 tons of raw material were produced. More than two-thirds of the wool, 851 tons, was thrown away. More than half of the wool consumed was exported, including to the United Kingdom.
Last year, 219 tons of crude oil, valued at SEK 10.3 million, were imported into Sweden. Most of the wool came from New Zealand.
In Sweden, there is only one larger wool washhouse, the Gotland Wool Office. The washing of wool in Sweden costs about 45 SEK per kilo. The washing of wool in Belgium costs about ten crowns per kilo, including transport.
In 2017, 1,240 tonnes of carded wool and yarn were imported worth SEK 248 million. The wool comes from some forty countries, but the most important are Norway, Peru, Germany and Turkey.
Source: Svenska Fåravelsförbundet, SCB
Sheep and lamb in Sweden
In Sweden, there are about 600,000 sheep and lambs. The number of Swedish farms has increased for a long time from 1995. There is currently 30% more.
The proportion of lamb to adult sheep declined steadily and by June 2018 it was estimated that for the first time there were more adult animals than lambs. This is because production has moved to spring slaughter rather than fall and lamb is not included in the June animal count.
During the First World War, there were 1.6 million sheep and lambs in Sweden. Second, their numbers increased further during the Second World War, with wool prices high and wool imports falling sharply.
The majority of Swedish sheep herds are small. More than 80% have 1-49 a few.
Source: Swedish Office of Agriculture
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