Paris (AFP)

From sheep to hanger, without leaving the territory: French wool, often neglected, sometimes burned for lack of buyers, is looking for outlets and is benefiting from a new appetite for the local.

In a world where the ecological footprint has become important, several companies have decided to integrate "made in France" wool into their products.

This is not the itchy artisanal sweater but trendy brands.

TBS (Eram group) will thus launch two models of sneakers whose upper uses wool from Ouessant sheep.

The clothing brand Balzac Paris, used to the pages of fashion magazines, is even one of the founding members of the Tricolor collective, initiated three years ago, which seeks to promote this ultra ecological material.

"Wool in France is exported at a loss to Asia, then it comes back in the form of sweaters: it's nonsense. We want to help provide it with outlets", underlines Marie-Emmanuelle Demoures, head of projects in French wools at Balzac Paris, a company of 55 people.

Wool yarn in the Arpin spinning mill, in Séez, Savoie, November 9, 2017 JEFF PACHOUD AFP / Archives

For its part, the young French company Tediber recently launched its new mattress, the aptly named "Pelote", made of recycled foam and French wool.

Fashion effect or reasoned approach?

On paper, the logic is unstoppable: there are seven million sheep in France, which breeders must shear at least once a year.

"This gives 14,000 tons of sheared wool in France", summarizes Pascal Gautrand, general delegate of Tricolor.

So why not use it for ready-to-wear, but also for making mattresses or quilts?

However, competing with synthetic fibers, French wool must also face competition from rivals such as Australia and New Zealand.

Manufacture of a wool mattress on October 10, 2018 on the site of the company "De Laine en Rêves" in Allain, in Meuthe-et-Moselle JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN AFP / Archives

- "Crossroads" -

Conclusion: the tricolor wool has been devalued "and its selling cost does not cover the costs of mowing", deplores Pascal Gautrand.

Wool like that of merino is sold "a few euros per kilo, the less used do not find a purchase offer on the farm", according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

In addition, there are tensions on the international market.

"For five years, the international woolen economy has been in depression. 70% of wool purchases were made by China. But the latter withdrew from the market a little, this weighed on prices", says Henri Arnaud, l one of the biggest wool traders in France.

A flock of sheep in Prévenchères, Lozère, August 27, 2020 Pascal GUYOT AFP / Archives

But times are changing and the health crisis has revived interest in local consumption.

"The pandemic has accelerated things", judge Julien Bianchi, managing director of TBS.

"We were interested in this material which is now waste, we found a beautiful story to tell".

The challenges are sizable, because the sector has unraveled over the years.

There is virtually no longer an industrial wool washing site in France.

There is hardly any more industrial combing either, this stage of transformation of raw wool into wool ribbons.

Cédric Auplat took over Peignage Dumortier three years ago in Tourcoing.

The company will invest 3.6 million euros over the next few years to develop, including 1.2 million from the State as part of the recovery plan.

Freshly shorn sheep separated from those which are not yet, June 9, 2018 in Coulonges, in Vienne GEORGES GOBET AFP / Archives

“There is a real change in mentality, but we need our own tools,” he says, so as not to be dependent on foreign washing companies.

French wool also has its flaws.

Renowned for its spring, which makes it ideal in beds, it is less so for its softness.

"For our customers, it is important to have a sweater that itches as little as possible", describes Marie-Emmanuelle Demoures.

The sector is therefore trying to organize itself with research on sorting wool and, upstream, the selection of the most suitable sheep species.

"You have to be careful not to sell just a concept. You need an affordable price with a product that will appeal to the general public," warns Julien Bianchi.

© 2021 AFP