Curious about life in the mountains, Muriel Morot, 38 years old from Bayonnaise, met a shepherd in the summer of 2019 during an “open huts” operation intended to introduce the general public to the journey of the herds, milking and cheese making. “In the course of the conversation, he explains that he has to shear his sheep once a year, and that all the wool remains on his arms, says the 30-year-old. This represents a cost to pay the shearers (between 1.20 and 1.50 euros per ewe) and he has no right to throw it away, nor to burn it, or to bury it…” From there, the idea of making something of this unused wool tickles the Bayonnaise to the point that she is passionate about the subject until she creates her own business: Traille.
She discovers how much the French wool sector has been unraveled. The vast majority of French wool, 80%, is exported to Asia and there are very few processing units left. “The less we value wool, the less we have the ability to do it,” she laments. Thus, less than 4% of wool shorn in France is processed there. Merino wool, from ewes selected and raised for their wool, mainly in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa largely dominates the market. This wool, the finest in the world, has diverted consumers from more rustic materials.
A very insulating Pyrenean wool
At the end of 2019, about a month after her meeting with the shepherd, she bought 600 kg of wool from him and began her trials, in conjunction with the CETI (European Center for Innovative Textiles). “I realized that you shouldn’t take the classic route of recycling wool, which was not suited to this thicker wool,” she explains. We tried many things and it was the wool wadding, obtained by adding corn starch, which was the most conclusive. Made finer, it preserves all the properties of Pyrenean wool. “It absorbs moisture without getting wet, and it is not very conducive to dust mites and bacteria, contrary to popular belief,” lists Muriel Morot. There is no known allergy to wool, which makes it suitable for bedding, childcare, etc. Another asset, it has thermoregulating properties when polyester, for example, keeps you warm all the time.
This wool wadding, fine and bulky, is not in contact with the skin but brings a comfort which already interests brands of technical clothing and related to horse riding, for example. She has already launched avenues for using this wadding in furnishings because she is struggling to find partners in France for the textile part. “Almost all parkas and coats are made in Asia and it wouldn’t make sense to send the wool wadding there,” she explains. But things are changing and more and more brands are trying to relocate, at least in Europe. »
La Bayonnaise aims to convert 50 of the 1,000 tonnes of finest wool produced per year in the department into textiles. And, it is also working on other projects to find outlets for thicker wools, for example by integrating them into bioplastic products. The first textile sales should take place in the winter of 2023.