100-percent American Washable Wool

September 17, 2004 -- There is now a 100-percent American machine-washable wool process available for U.S. woolen mills to use in production.

The concept of a wool-enzyme product was made real through a joint effort between the American Sheep Industry Association (ASI) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After three and one-half years of research, development and refinement, the product is ready to be launched into the industrial environment.

The wool enzyme process, when applied to wool, results in a machine-washable product. Besides being truly 100-percent American, the process is cheaper than the current top treatment options, is more versatile, is environmentally sound and can be applied to multiple surfaces such as loose fiber, yarn, fabric or completed garments.

Six U.S. companies have already expressed an interest in utilizing the process. Since the product is entirely domestic, the U.S. military is also exploring a number of new product ideas, which make use of the process such as winter underwear.

?Washable wool has been around for nearly 35 years, but we can now proudly say that we have a product that is 100-percent domestic,? stated Dr. Parvez Mehta, ASI wool development consultant.

?This is a very exciting time for the U.S. wool industry,? commented Rita Kourlis Samuelson, ASI wool marketing director. ?As an industry, we are always looking for new markets for our product. The development of this process could offer huge market potential for domestic wool.?

Staff contact: Rita Kourlis Samuelson, ext. 29