Around a hundred people gathered at the McCord Stewart Museum on November 7 to attend the first edition of the Bal de Laine. This benefit event was organized by the Bal de Laine Foundation and the Fibershed Québec organization, chaired by Marie-Ève Faust, professor at the École supérieure de mode and in the Department of Strategy, Social and Environmental Responsibility at ESG UQAM. More than $20,000 was raised to support research into the possibilities of using natural textile fibers, such as wool, with a view to revitalizing the wool industry in Quebec.
The funds raised will be used more specifically to finance a research project led by Marie-Ève Faust, which aims to map wool resources in Quebec, with a view to establishing a portrait of the actors and actresses involved in the industry. “There are currently 20 breeds of sheep in Quebec,” recalls the professor. We want to know better the breeders, the characteristics of the fleeces and what we can do with them.”
“While the wool in the clothes we wear is mostly imported, more than 90% of Canadian wool is thrown away or burned.”
Marie-Ève Faust,
Professor at the Higher School of Fashion
“While the wool in the clothes we wear is mostly imported, more than 90% of Canadian wool is thrown away or burned. In Quebec, this represents more than 130,000 fleeces each year,” underlines Marie-Ève Faust. For many sheep producers in Quebec, selling wool for commercial use is not profitable. To be used on a large scale, wool must be processed and processed, a demanding and expensive process requiring investment.
According to the professor, it is important to demonstrate that local wool deserves to be exploited properly in order to ensure better profitability for breeders wishing to revalorize this resource, a reduction in the carbon footprint of textiles and a greater supply in local supply chains. “The results of the research can be used to raise public awareness of the ecological benefits of locally produced wool, thus promoting more responsible consumption.”
Environmental issues
The Wool Ball aimed not only to promote the use of local natural fibers, such as wool, but also to raise awareness of the environmental issues associated with the clothing industry.
“Work carried out by École supérieure de mode lecturer Vanessa Mardirossian indicates that 64% of the carbon impact of fashion comes from the manufacturing of fabrics and the processing of textiles, which use fossil fuels and products chemicals.”
“Work carried out by École supérieure de mode lecturer Vanessa Mardirossian indicates that 64% of the carbon impact of fashion comes from the manufacturing of fabrics and the processing of textiles, which use fossil fuels and products chemicals,” observes Marie-Ève Faust.
Reports like Toxic Threadsfrom Greenpeace, noted the presence of harmful substances in synthetic textiles, such as benzidine-based azo dyes, used on a large scale in industry. “Despite regulatory measures, such products used in dyeing are released into waterways, affecting aquatic ecosystems and even drinking water,” notes the professor. These substances, known for their resistance to light and washing, represent threats to human health.
Rather than synthetic fibers composed of chemicals, Marie-Ève Faust advocates the use of animal and plant fibers. “We should start from our resources and turn to products like the fleeces of our sheep that we could recover and transform here,” says the professor. This would help reduce the ecological footprint of textiles, by reducing our fabric imports.”
Overconsumption of textiles
Overconsumption is also one of the environmental issues linked to the textile industry. Between 2000 and 2014, clothing consumption per person worldwide increased by 60%, according to a report from the firm McKinsey. Consumers responded to lower prices and greater variety by purchasing more clothing. “This acceleration is attributable, in particular, to fast fashion, called fast fashion“, said the professor. This segment of the industry emerged in the 1970s and expanded globally in the 2000s (1,000 new items per day in 2021). Coming from low-paid work, the clothes of fast fashion are often made from synthetic textiles or cotton, one of the most pesticide-intensive crops.
For a local, diversified and eco-responsible offer
The funds raised during the Bal de laine went to the Bal de laine Foundation which, with the collaboration of Fibershed Québec, aims to support research into the development of local textiles and know-how. Founded in 2022 by Marie-Ève Faust, Fibershed Québec is, in a way, the Quebec branch of the Californian organization Fibershed, whose mission is to contribute to the development of a textile and clothing offering that is local, diversified and eco-responsible.
“Promoting and promoting local textiles is part of Fibershed Québec’s mandate,” says the professor. We are committed to contributing to the advancement of knowledge regarding best practices, from the production of fibers and raw materials to the end of life of textile and clothing products.”
Fibershed Quebec defends the recycling of textiles and the idea of taking care of clothes. “Repairing, patching and mending our clothes can be part of a cultural change that values the people who worked to give them life and that reduces the impact of textile waste on the environment,” says Marie-Ève Faust .
