Ozek, Hikmet Ziya2024-10-292024-10-292023978-032399598-6978-032399599-3https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-99598-6.00021-9https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11776/12377Wool stands out as a superior fiber having natural, renewable, and biodegradable characteristics. It grows on sheep, out of which a variety of products from apparel to interior textiles are manufactured. Wool is made of a protein called keratin; hence wool items biodegrade well at the end of life cycle, unlike most synthetic fibers. Despite several sustainable characteristics of wool fiber, it is vulnerable to some unsustainable practices across its life cycle. That is mostly due to livestock fostering deforestation that leads to losses of biodiversity and carbon sequestration, a great rise in greenhouse gas emissions, and desertification as an environmental cost. Sheep farms are globally responsible for 6.5% of the total emissions of the livestock industry, while the use of land and water is also low. The total environmental cost is allocated to all coproducts and by-products such as meat, milk, wool, hide, etc. In this respect, the responsibility of wool is constrained by around 10% of the total emissions of small ruminants, which is 45 million tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-eq). The wool industry has an extensive and global value chain that starts with the acquisition of “greasy” wool on farms, goes through processing stages and consumer use, and ends up at the end of life. Major environmental impacts are the consequence of greenhouse gas emissions, use of fossil energy, and water stress. Energy is mostly used up during wool processing and partly during retailing and garment care. Greenhouse gas emissions stem from farming, in particular, and the processing and use phases. The origins of water stress vary throughout the full life cycle. The impact at the end of life is almost negligible; on the contrary, it has a potential use as a fertilizer. Furthermore, securing the well-being of sheep in all stages, both for higher productivity and the animals' rights, is another critical issue. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.en10.1016/B978-0-323-99598-6.00021-9info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessbiodegradationfertilizerLCAsustainabilitysustainable productionWoolBook Chapter4014402-s2.0-85189997995