If you've always wanted to have a relationship with a sheep, now's your chance...
If you've always wanted to have a relationship with a sheep, now's your
chance thanks to
Icebreaker.
Erm, that came out a bit wrong. What we're trying to tell you is that
from this autumn, thanks to a
unique
tracking process called Baacode, you can trace the fibres
of your Icebreaker merino garment back to the sheep station where it
originated.
Using the Baacode web site, you can then see farmers and sheep in
action, look at the living conditions of the sheep and follow the fibre
to the factories that knit, dye, finish, cut, manufacture and ship the
garments. You can also pose questions and find out more about
Icebreaker’s supply chain.
From August 2008 all Icebreaker garments have the Baacode printed on
the label inside them, while a swing tag tells you what to do
with it. There are some 120 merino sheep stations used by Icebreaker
and the individual baa code will direct you to a small group of
stations where your particularly garment's wool originated.
Once there you get shown the exact location on a map followed by a
video of happy sheep farmers talking about their lives, some basic
facts about the sheep station and some pics. There are also links to
pages about Icebreaker's environmental ethics, the manufacturing ethics
- complete with video covering the entire supply chain from sheep,
through cleaning in a Chinese-based French factory, yarn production in
a German one, through to actual manufacture in carefully vetted Chinese
factory.
It's all potentially a bit naff, but Icebreaker have done it
really, really well in an original way that stands out at a time when
suddenly everyone in the outdoors industry seems to be shouting about
their ecological credentials. And it's well worth a look either if you
own Icebreaker already or if you're just interested in the process of
producing a merino wool garment.
You may not end up having a relationship with a sheep, but we reckon
there's a good chance you'll feel warmer and more positive about your
Icebreaker merino.
You can have a look for yourself at
www.icebreaker.com/baacode just click the
demo link and follow the chain...
