Meridian Specialty Yarn Group (MSYG) has used best practices to produce exceptional quality yarns that are dyed, spun and, for some of its products, even sourced in the United States. This includes building a new US plant, which opened in 2019, and incorporates next-generation sustainability technologies and practices into the production of yarn.
MSYG now offers wool from Shaniko Wool Company that has been certified under Textile Exchange’s arduous Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). MSYG’s 100 percent American, Shaniko RWS-certified wool is grown, sheered, scoured, and combed in the United States and then spun at MSYG’s new plant in the North Carolina foothills.
MSYG’s RWS-certified Shaniko Wool is available for sale by the skein (and in larger quantities) for craft dyers through the group’s Meridian Mill House Yarn Shop. Meridian Mill House is based at its plant in Ranlo, North Carolina. Shaniko Wool is also available through its main plant to US apparel brands looking for a reliable source of high quality wool in the USA.
Building on MSYG’s long-standing reputation for quality, sustainability, and innovation, Meridian Mill House opened in January of 2020 to offer craft dyers a carefully curated line of superior quality, un-dyed yarns. Meridian Mill House Yarn Shop focuses on offering natural fibres that can be easily dyed with acid and/or reactive dyes.
Wherever possible, fibres are sourced through US suppliers and grown and spun in the USA. That said, Meridian Mill House is also continually searching the globe for luxurious and exotic fibre blends. The company’s current inventory includes RWS-certified wool yarns from Shaniko Wool Company as well as yarns made from US-grown cotton, US-grown organic cotton, cashmere and mulberry silk from China, flax from Belgium, and Huacaya Alpaca from Peru.
“Shaniko’s Made-in-America, RWS-certified wool is a natural addition to the exceptional yarn products we already offer through our new Meridian Mill House,” said Stephen Hudson, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at MSYG. “This is also a boost to the textile and fashion industries’ US supply chain. We’re looking forward to working with apparel manufactures in North America looking for a reliable source of wool yarn, as well as a product with an authentic sustainability story that they can weave into the marketing stories for their products.”
The RWS is a global standard developed by Textile Exchange to provide clear, transparent, and verifiable criteria related to the humane treatment of sheep stock. Mulesing, for example, is prohibited and ranches that use this controversial practice to harvest wool will not be certified under the RWS. RWS-certification also calls for careful land management practices that ensure the continued sustainability of the ranges where sheep are raised and live.
Shaniko Wool Company is said to be the first farm group in the United States to provide humanely raised and harvested wool grown and certified under the Responsible Wool Standard. The Shaniko Wool farm group includes several US sheep ranches, primarily located in the US West, and was established to scale the economics involved with making RWS-certified US wool available to apparel brands and the craft yarn community. The unique benefits of this global standard include full traceability and third-party audits of land management and animal husbandry practices.
The Textile Exchange’s documented review of ranching practices by a reputable certification body ensures confidence in the authenticity of RWS-certified wool products.
