Easy-care by nature

Simply knitted simply the best - nature always knows the easiest way. As a rule of thumb: our clothes should be washed as little as possible, but instead should be left to hang in the fresh air. Which isn’t a problem at all in terms of hygiene. Bacteria generally find it very difficult to stick to natural fibres. But should it ever become necessary, you can wash our garments at 30°C on a wool cycle.

Our materials

We rely on the best that nature has to offer. Our materials are not only high-quality and sustainable, but are also extremely comfortable to wear. Whether virgin merino wool, silk, or a blend of the two, each garment has its own advantages and special features.

Mulesing-free by nature. Our sheep live in Patagonia. The flies, which are the reason for the controversial practice of mulesing, do not even exist there.

Merino wool – high-tech by nature

As (almost) always, nature is the best designer. Our breathable virgin merino wool is the best proof for this. It has natural properties that no synthetic fibre can fully replicate. It is naturally dirt- and water-repellent, and regulates the body climate perfectly. It cools in summer and warms in winter. And is the ideal companion for your big and small adventures.

Silk – that special something

Silk stands for elegance and luxury. But it has much more to offer. It is smooth, balances the temperature, and adds a special touch to any garment. Its fine fibres caress your skin and provide a unique feel. In combination with merino wool, the result is a unique material blend that unites the best properties of both natural fibres – for a feeling of well-being that you will want to wear all year long.

Merino wool and silk: the right treatment

We make it easy for you: thanks to the antibacterial characteristics of our natural fibres, gentle brushing (merino wool) and airing are sufficient in most cases. A real dream – for us and for our environment too.

Washing merino wool and silk

Should it ever become necessary, our natural items can easily be washed in the washing machine. Just make sure you use the right settings: cold or maximum 30°C in the wool wash cycle, with wool detergent and at a low spin speed (400 rpm). When hand washing, the natural product should not be left in water for too long as this damages the wool fibres. Simply wash in clear, lukewarm water and rinse (avoid temperature fluctuations at all costs). Please do not wring, but squeeze out gently in a towel and dry flat. This will keep your treasures soft, dimensionally stable, and retain their unique properties.

You can remove small spots and blemishes easily and naturally. Regular airing and gentle brushing is sufficient in most cases. Even with rough stains such as mud, it is advisable to simply allow the garment to dry and then brush it out. Lint and pilling are natural characteristics of natural wool products. If it bothers you, you can still easily do something about it:

Use a lint roller or a lint shaver
Brush the fabric with a soft clothes brush
Try using adhesive tape to remove lint
Place the clothes briefly in the tumble dryer at a cold temperature
Do not use fabric softener as it increases pilling and damages the wool

Protecting merino wool and silk

Moths and fur beetles? As much as we love nature, we don’t need this sort of thing in our clothes. We recommend storing your clothes in tightly closed cupboards or garment bags. Natural fragrances such as lavender or cedar wood can also help to keep unwanted guests away.

FAQ & Lexikon

Hier geben wir Antworten auf die meisten Fragen

Opening hours:

Monday to Wednesday

9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Thursday and Friday

9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Happy to see you there.

Wörthstraße 155

D-72793 Pfullingen

+49 (0)7121 – 3878788

Plan your journey with Google Maps

You can reach us at the following telephone numbers during our opening times:

+49 (0)7121 – 3878788

+49 (0) 15751788712

You can find our gift certificates directly in our factory store in Pfullingen – and very soon, very conveniently also in our online shop.
So come and drop by every now and then!

Both our wool fleece and our boiled wool...

...are made of 100% virgin merino wool (kbT; certified organic animal husbandry)

...are produced according to the highest criteria for ecological textile production. Thus, the finished products can be labelled with the quality symbol IVN certified BEST

...are made of the same premium worsted yarns in a fine yarn count. The fineness of the wool fibres used by ENGEL ranges from 19.5 to 21µ.

...are circular knitted (not woven!)

For both fabrics, the base material produced is a terry cloth, a fleecy fabric with a smooth side and a second side with “loops”. These loops are what creates the typical fleecy touch and visual appearance of a terry cloth fabric. Up to this point, the production process of wool fleece and boiled wool is the same. The next steps will make the difference:

Wool fleece

After knitting, the fabric is washed and then the surface of the fabric is napped and roughend on both sides to create the typical and delightfully light effect of our wool fleece quality. After that, the fabric is “shaved” to a uniform pile height while the largest portion of the exposed fibres is vacuumed off. Nevertheless, a small portion of these exposed fibres sometimes remains in/on the fabric, which can lead to the finished garment giving off some fluff in the beginning. ENGEL uses a thinner wool fleece fabric for babywear and children's clothing and a somewhat thicker wool fleece fabric for women's and men's jackets.

Benefits of wool fleece

The wool fleece produced by ENGEL is cuddly soft, light and fluffy. Thanks to its high elasticity, wool fleece is very smooth, without constricting. The napped texture provides space for many tiny pockets of air, which on the one hand store body heat, but on the other hand allow for an exchange of air and heat. Therefore, wool fleece creates a particularly good and temperature balancing microclimate. Wool is dirt- and water-repellent by nature.

Boiled wool

After knitting, the fabric is washed and then subjected to a half-hour mechanical fulling process with hot water (nearly 100°C). Moisture, heat and movement of a large washing machine cause the scaly layer (cuticle cells) of the wool fibres to swell and interlock. Fulling creates numerous air chambers, which are able to store body warmth. This gives boiled wool ideal heat insulation features. After the drying process, a soft but yet robust fabric is won, which is more compact and denser than wool fleece and consequently has a higher fabric weight of approx. 440 g/m². Compared to woven boiled wool fabric, knitted boiled wool fabric is much more elastic. It is therefore ideally suited for babywear and children's clothing.

Benefits of boiled wool

Boiled wool is durable, breathable, dirt- and water-repellent, heat insulating and protects better from wind than wool fleece because of the denser fabric structure. Besides, the fabric is more resilient when it comes to friction and abrasion resistance. That’s why the fabric is predestined for slightly older children, who already explore nature and their environment on their own.

Yes, pilling and lint are normal on organic knitted wool. Pilling, the little knots, happens when materials rub against each other. Lint are those small loose fluffs that are created during the fleece production process. Fluff and pilling are actual features of natural wool products. Because our wool is naturally pure and hasn‘t been treated with chemistry, we can‘t entirely avoid these features. But there is something you can do about it:

Use a lint roller or a pilling shaver
Brush the fabric with a soft clothes brush
Try using adhesive tape to remove lint
Briefly place the clothes into the tumble dryer on cold temperature setting
Do not use any fabric softener as this will increase pilling and damage the wool

If you have any questions or would like to know more useful tips on wool and its care, you can follow us on Instagram, send us a message or give us a call. We will be happy to help you.

All ENGEL wool and wool/silk items are made of the finest new merino wool. This has nothing to do with the “scratchy” wool that often comes to mind when people hear the word “wool”. Virgin merino wool is soft and smooth and does not scratch – the best way is to find out for yourself.

You can also find interesting facts about wool in our encyclopaedia below.

Apart from many other amazing characteristics, wool is also temperature balancing. That means, wool warms you when it is cold and cools you when it is warm. Besides, wool can absorb a third of its own weight in moisture without having a “wet” feel to it.

Last, but not least, the natural antibacterial effect of wool prevents garments from giving off unpleasant odours. Wool can also be worn very well in warmer temperatures – perhaps not exactly as wool fleece jacket, but for example as shirt or body! Another great advantage of wool is the natural UV protection of approx. LPF 30-50.

You can also find interesting facts about wool in our encyclopaedia below.

The TOG system provides a unit of measure for the heat resistance of textiles. TOG stands for thermal overall grade and is used to describe the warmth or thermal resistence of a garment. The higher the TOG value, the warmer the sleeping bag. The following table shows which items of clothing the baby should wear inside the sleeping bag, depending on room temperature and the TOG value of the sleeping bag.

ATTENTION: This table only provides reference points. The appropriate clothing always depends on the room temperature and not on the season. ENGEL sleeping bags have the following TOG values:

Terry sleeping bag: 0.64
Fleece sleeping bag: 1.65

You can find all the information on GOTS and IVN in our encyclopaedia below.

ENGEL produces all its products in Germany. We work with several partner businesses in the South of Germany, most of them based within 50 km from our headquarters in Pfullingen. Here, in Pfullingen, we manufacture a good part of the products ourselves. That way, we guarantee short transport distances; which is good for the environment and helps us to stay flexible. On top of that, we can secure jobs in Germany.

ENGEL at Google Maps.

In our tests (DIN EN 13758-1) the UV-protection of our materials wool and wool/silk was at least 22 to a maximum of 50 – depending on colour and quality.

(Please note! Wearing our clothes does not replace other UV protective measures.)

Besides the material itself the following factors can influence UV protection:

Material Structure:
Higher density and weight of the material increases UV protection.

Garment Fit:
Stretched and tight-fit clothing offers less UV protection than lose-fit clothing.

Colour:
Dark colours offer a higher UV protection than light colours.

Humidity:
Wet clothing reduces UV protection.

Use:
Fading colours and abrasion of fibres reduces UV protection.

Layering:
Wearing more than one layer increases UV protection

All ENGEL products are produced in Germany under fair working conditions. 95% of our range of goods is certified with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or with the world's most demanding quality mark IVN-Best. Along the strict ecological guidelines, these two standards also include social criterias that must be complied with in order to receive the certification. This contains the ILO (International Labour Organisation) core standards: such as the prohibition of forced labour, prohibition of child labour, no abuse and discrimination, fair pay, occupational health and safety and freedom of association.

You can also find interesting facts about GOTS and IVN BEST in our encyclopaedia below.

All ingredients used in ENGEL products are nickel-free and not harmful to health or considered to be a health concern.

It is not necessary to wash our products before wearing them for the first time.

Our products are manufactured in a 100 % ecologically sound manner and are not chemically equipped. Dyes, that are of health concern or materials that can lead to skin irritations or are harmful to the environment, are not used at all. In order to comply the strict requirements of IVN BEST and GOTS, the use of all these harmful substances is prohibited.

Basically, we recommend that our wool and wool silk articles are washed as little as possible. Wool regenerates itself when exposed to oxygen-rich air and often it is already enough to hang the clothes outside in fresh air for a while.

Wool cycle or hand wash – do not use the delicates cycle! When hand washing wool, do not rub and wring too much and soak too long. Slight swirling and gentle squeezing in lukewarm water are sufficient. It is particularly important that you always use the same temperature.
Use a detergent for woollens (pH value < 7). Do not use any softener!
»Cold« or at max. 30°C in wool cycle. That keeps the wool soft, elastic and absorbent.
Wash at a low spin speed! We recommend a maximum of 400 rpm (revolutions per minute).
Wrap in a towel and gently squeeze out the water. Carefully pull into shape. Dry flat – not in a tumble dryer or on a heater!

Clothes moth

Clothes moths are nocturnal moths that occur all over the world. In nature, they can be mostly found in bird's nests. Around households, they are essentially regarded as pests. The female lays approx. 100 to 250 white eggs. These are laid individually on woollen fabrics, feathers, furs and upholstery. About two weeks later, yellow-white caterpillars hatch from the eggs. The larvae feeds on the keratin in wool fibres. For this reason, woollen clothes are particularly at risk to be infested by moths. Mothes leave small holes or often grooves, i.e. oblong holes with missing fabric. Moths particularly love worn clothing that contains hair and skin flakes. To protect your clothes from moths, you can place cedar, Swiss pine or neem wood and their essential oils or even lavender into your wardrobe. Another effective method are ichneumon flies – the natural predator of moths. In addition, make sure to check your clothes regularly. The wardrobe should be regularly cleaned out with soapy water, especially in case of acute infestation, and cracks should be vacuumed. However, moth infestation is not a sign of a lack of hygiene.

If a garment is infested, it helps to place the item into a freezer for at least 24 hours. Afterwards you should check after a couple of weeks whether the textiles are free from infestation. Otherwise, you will need to repeat the process.

Fur beetle

The situation with fur beetles is similar to moths. The females lay their eggs near organic materials. The larvae feed on wool and wool fabrics, carpets, furs, feathers, etc. The feeding pattern of the larvae creates irregularly shaped holes in textiles. As preventative measure, it helps to avoid dust near garments, to keep wardrobes clean and to attach fly screens on windows. Once an item is infested, it can help to store it in the freezer.

Note: We advise against the use of chemical methods to control moths and fur beetles, as these often contain substances that are harmful to human health. These vermin are incidentally the reason our products are packed in plastic bags.

For a long time, we were searching for a new and more sustainable packaging solution for our high-quality products. The packaging is supposed to meet several criteria: to protect against dirt, moisture and pests such as moths. Many other types of packaging (including the option to leave the items unpacked) can‘t fullfill this criteria unfortunately. For this reason, we have decided to use a bag made of recycled polyethylene (RE PE).

Our recycling foil is certified with the German ecolabel Blauer Engel (Blue Angel); and also its production uses less water than the production of cardboard or paper. For us, utilising RE PE makes sense in more than one aspect: No use of new ressources for the production of the bags, as we use post-consumer recycling foil (PCR). That means that waste from households and offices is collected and recycled. The PE bags can be recycled several times over, which means they are relatively environmentally sound. Besides, our supplier for the recycled PE bags is based in Germany and recycling also takes place here. Transportation routes are therefore minimised and carbon emissions reduced.

Although you should not store any food in the recycled polyethylene bags, you can use them to store your clothing or to organise your workroom and keep screws and DIY accessoires tidy.

If you have any questions or would like to know more useful tips, you can follow us on Instagram, send us a message or give us a call.

We will be happy to help you.

Thanks so much for your interest in our products.

Please send us a copy of your business registration and a short description of your retail outlet and/or a link to your shop.

You will then receive further information from us. We are looking forward to hear from you!

Unfortunately, we do not provide catalogues for private customers. However, you can view and download our catalogue online at our website.

Everything you need to know about mulesing you can find in our encyclopaedia below.

ENGEL policy statement

Fundamental position

ENGEL GmbH is aware of its responsibility regarding the observance of human rights. We respect the human rights in our company values and delivery chains. It is our goal to promote their application and to prevent their violation. Together with our employees, customers and business partners we strive every day to promote human rights – that is what we are committed to, notably to fair business practises and good working and living conditions.

Taking the above as a foundation, we have drafted this policy statement. The foundation of human rights diligence at Engel GmbH is our commitment to respecting the human rights as they are laid down in internationally agreed frameworks:

UN Human Rights Charter
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
UN Convention on the Rights of Women
Core labour standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)
OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
The ten UN Global Compact Principles

Responsibility and claim

Sustainability

Through far-sighted planning and responsible procurement of our yarns and materials, we grant our business partners an adequate time for scheduling their orders and associated with this, for suitable personnel deployment planning and payment. Should we gain knowledge of any adverse effects on human rights and the environment caused by our business operations, we commit to provide for systematic remedial action and compensation or at least for mitigation of the negative effects we have caused or towards which we have contributed with our business operations. We are cooperating with contracting companies within a radius of approx. 40 km. On the one hand, these short routes to the production sites make sense from an ecological point of view, on the other hand they allow us a high degree of flexibility, speed and production monitoring. Moreover, with short distances we minimise the risk of negative impacts on human rights, the environment and integrity.

In a declaration of conformity, all contracting companies involved in the production process undertake to work according to the guidelines of IVN and GOTS and to observe the social requirements. Subcontracting only takes place with the consent of Engel GmbH to ensure that these subcontractors produce according to the same criteria.

95% of our range of goods is certified with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) or with the world's most demanding quality mark IVN-Best. Apart certified organic cotton we process finest new merino wool from certified organic animal husbandry with silk. All dyes used are free of heavy metals and have always been free of harmful azo dyes. Our textile finishing dispenses with unnecessary chemical finishing. Basically, all substances used must be biodegradable and may not pollute soil, air and water.

Human rights diligence

Like every company, ENGEL has the social responsibility to secure existing jobs. And this is not only a responsibility towards all employees, but also for the company itself. However, social sustainability also means to secure jobs in the region, in the country, i.e. to prefer regional providers, to maintain supplier relationships and to keep up close ties.

An important role for parties concerned or parties observing possible human rights violations is the access provided to the grievance mechanism. For this purpose, Engel GmbH has set up an e-mail address for the confidential reporting of information on compliance violations and information relating to human rights. These grievances can be addressed to complaint@engel-natur.de. This e-mail address is checked on a weekly basis and so far, no complaints have been received.

The social criteria are known to all employees and the current version from the GOTS and IVN-BEST guideline is on display both at ENGEL and at the contractors' premises. There is a financial reward system for suggestions for improvement regarding the entrepreneurial due diligence.

We place a particular focus on the protection of vulnerable people such as adolescents, women, older employees and disabled persons and consider their wishes and skills with regard to work quality and work performance.

ENGEL undertakes to pay remuneration at least amounting to the legally guaranteed minimum wage with working times that are consistent with current standards. Beyond that, we align ourselves with the payment of living wages.

All our employees have a written employment contract in accordance with § 2 of the German Nachweisgesetz (Law on proof of the essential conditions applicable to an employment relationship).

Responsibilities

The overall responsibility for compliance with our principles in sustainability and human care rests with the management of Engel GmbH. Engel GmbH will critically review its position and the former's implementation on a regular basis and will continue to develop it.

Lexikon

Begriffdefinitionen von A – Z

is the general term for all textile finishing methods, which change the visual appearance, which are the wear or care properties of a commodity following weaving or knitting. A distinction is made between mechanical and chemical finishing.

Mechanical finishing with water, steam or pressure, without the use of chemicals, includes washing, sanforisation and napping. Conventionally produced textiles are frequently subjected to chemical treatments. Chemical treatments can be the mothproofing agent Eulan, super wash finish to prevent felting, dirt- and water repelling finishing, matting to prevent a high gloss effect and furthermore the crease-resistant, and anti-pilling finishing, to name a few.

These treatments produce a structural change of the natural fibres through the application of salts or the coating with synthetic resins. This causes adverse health effects and pollution of the environment. Untreated ENGEL products made of cotton, wool or wool/silk are exclusively subjected to mechanical finishing, which means they are washed, possibly sanforised or napped and gently processed further.

This term refers to the seed hair of the cotton boll, which bursts open when fully ripe. It grows in a tropical and subtropical climate. Cotton from ENGEL is strictly hand-picked, always originates from controlled organic cultivation and is therefore free of pesticides, artificial fertilisers and herbicides. Apart from a considerate treatment of nature, a fair cooperation with the producers is guaranteed. Natural cotton is very skin friendly and therefore particularly well suited for sensitive skin, but at the same time extremely durable and hard-wearing. Moreover, textiles made of natural cotton wool are anti-static and colour-fast and can be washed in the washing machine at high temperatures.

When buying clothes made of untreated cotton, you should always order a somewhat larger size, as they will shrink by approx. 3 % to 5 % during washing. We do not recommend the use of commercially available all-purpose laundry detergents containing optical brighteners, bleaching agents, phosphates, etc. as they cause colours to fade more quickly, take a heavy toll on the textiles and in addition, overload sewage waters with chemicals.

In the textile sector, “organic” is not a protected term so that when you encounter this term it is not guaranteed that the products were manufactured according to ecological guidelines. The same applies to terms such as “natural”, “nature”, “healthy” or “ecological”. To be sure about organic products, you can pay attention to certifications such as “controlled organic cultivation” and the quality marks “NATURTEXTIL-IVN ZERTIFIZIERT BEST”, “GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD (GOTS)”, “BIOLAND” and “DEMETER”.

Short fibres that have come off during the combing process of waste silk spinning and the short and tangled fibre particles of the innermost and outermost sheathing of the silk moth cocoon yield semi fine to rough natural silk yarns – bourette silk – which is of mostly irregular and knobby appearance. This silk is duller, but also more full-bodied than silk waste.

More and more children and adults suffer from neurodermatitis. Therefore it is essential to avoid allergens as early as possible, especially during the first months of life. Not only the large skin surface, but also the initially weak immune system lead to a high sensitivity of babies' and children's skin to harmful substances.

Toxin-free clothes rule out the danger of absorbing contaminants through the skin to a great extent. For this reason we produce clothes from natural textiles for premature children. In cooperation with the association for premature babies at the children's clinic Reutlingen, ENGEL developed the first clothes for premature babies in 1988 under the slogan »Made-to-measure clothing«. This range of clothes is specifically aligned with the needs of the tiny ones and involves romper, bonnets, pyjamas, wraparound bodies and sleeping bags, starting already with a size 38 and 44. The products are available in soft wool-silk blends or in fluffy virgin wool terry.

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognised as worldwide leading standard for the processing of textiles made of biologically produced natural fibres. The standard defines environmental requirements throughout the entire textile production chain on a high levels and at the same time demands compliance with social criteria. ENGEL offers products that are certified with the GOTS. To be able to continue these certifications, we must be recertified by an independent organiation every year to guarantee a transparent, fair and ecological production.

Further information can be found here.

The skin is our largest and most important sensory organ. It serves us humans as protective shell, senses soft touches just as much as pain, pressure and temperature and regulates our entire heat and moisture balance. Depending on the degree of physical exertion, the skin releases 1 to 2 litres of fluid every day to cool the body through the sweat glands.

Our clothing needs to absorb this moisture – the sweat – and transport it outwards so it can evaporate. If this procedure is not working correctly, an unpleasant heat and moisture build-up occurs. This is for instance the case with clothing made of synthetic fibres or with synthetic disposable diapers.

The “venting of the skin”, i.e. the removal of moisture and the protection from cold, essentially depends on the textile fibres (animal or plant), their processing (woven or knitted) and the air layers between skin, under- and outerwear.

In general, animal “hair”, such as wool or silk warms better than plant fibres or synthetics, while an insulating air cushion is more easily formed by knitted fabrics than by woven materials.

An unpleasant smell is caused by bacteria, which very quickly form in the sweat. Plant and synthetic fibres form a good breeding ground for these bacteria. Animal fibres such as wool and silk absorb the smell and give it off again when aired, which means that they make it difficult for bacteria to settle.

Elastic, double-faced flat or circular weft-knitted or warp-knitted knitwear, which on both sides of the fabric only exhibits plain stiches but is not ribbed. Two plain-plain knitted fabrics are joined together in such a manner that a plain stitch on the front is opposed by a slightly offset plain stitch on the rear. This results in an exceptionally fine and smooth loop structure. The fabric has a very supple appearance.

Products carrying the seal “IVN certified BEST – Natural textile” are produced according to the highest possible ecological standards and thus clearly even surpass the requirements of the GOTS. Products that are certified with the IVN Best must be produced from 100% controlled organic natural fibres.

Further information can be found at naturtextil.de

organic cotton only permits natural fertilisers and prescribes a cultivation with crop rotation (e.g. with grain or different types of vegetables such as sweet corn, beans, peanuts). That means that cotton is cultivated without chemical fertilisers and without the use of pesticides according to biodynamic guidelines. Thus, only soils are cultivated that have not been treated with chemicals for several years. Weeds are removed by hand, while pests are controlled through mixed cultivation and the introduction of beneficial insects. Biotopes that are set up, for example hedgerows and trees, serve as nesting sites for birds and small animals. Green manuring and alternating crop rotation enliven the soil and produce bigger harvests. Depending on the degree of ripeness of the cotton bolls, harvesting is carried out in 3 to 4 manual picking processes.

It is understood that in controlled biological cultivation, the spraying of defoliating agents and a mechanically executed harvest are not permitted. For its cotton clothing, ENGEL exclusively uses cotton from biological cultivation. Our clothing has been granted the highest award of the IVN, the certification NATURAL TEXTILE – IVN CERTIFIED BEST.

Organic virgin wool is characterised by the respect for animals and human beings. The merino sheep can live in a healthy and stress-free manner according to their needs and their species. Pastures must be selected in accordance with the climatic and ecological conditions that suit the merino sheep, the use of pesticides is forbidden both on the pastures and on the animal. The animals reproduce in a natural manner and interventions with the animal, such as tail docking or mulesing are forbidden. In short – the sheep are living a happy life.

The virgin merino wool that is used in ENGEL wool products comes from controlled organic animal husbandry. With the controlled biological origin, harmful substances such as pesticides and herbicides are avoided and therefore can‘t be found in ENGEL clothing in the first place. That’s why these items have been granted the highest award of the IVN, the quality mark NATURTEXTIL – IVN CERTIFIED BEST.

Mulesing For climatic reasons, sheep, particularly the very woolly merino sheep, are subject to infestation with the blowfly, especially in Australia and New Zealand. The fly thrives mostly in regions with permanently green ground cover, i.e. regions with frequent rainfalls. The climate is rather continental and only exhibits slight seasonal fluctuations, except for the South of Australia.

Animals are infested by flies and their maggots. The flies settle down in the warm, humid skin folds of the anal and genital areas that are soiled with faeces and urine and are poorly ventilated. It is an optimum climate for the fly to deposit the eggs here, which then develop into maggots. These maggots migrate into the skin and subcutaneous tissue and virtually eat the sheep alive. This leads to serious inflammations and often also to the death of the sheep. Especially at high outside temperatures, the maggots propagate quickly. To prevent these inflammations and worse, they are subjected to the excruciating “mulesing”. In Australia, the skin folds around anus, vulva and tail of the lambs are cut away with sharp scissors without anaesthetisation to prevent an infestation with fly maggots. These wounds receive no further treatment but are left to heal on their own and scar over. No more wool grows from the scar tissue, it remains sleek and fold-free so it can‘t no longer attract any flies. It cannot be ruled out that sheep have been mulesed even when dealing with Australian wools from certified organic animal husbandry. The criteria for certified organic animal husbandry are regulated by the NASAA (National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia Ltd.). Although mulesing is basically forbidden by the Organic Standard of the NASAA there are exceptions, which permit the use of mulesing under an extremely limited range of circumstances.

According to our research, mulesing can be applied at farms practising conventional animal husbandry; these are often located in rainy regions. Australia wants to find alternatives in breeding and in the (allopathic) treatment to be able to refrain from mulesing.

Some countries in South America have already developed laws and control systems for ecological farming that are geared to the requirements of their target markets (Europe and USA). This includes for instance Argentina. Thus, South America has the largest volume of wools from controlled organic animal husbandry and their production is guided by the EU directive on organic farming. Due to the climatic conditions in Patagonia – there are large differences in temperature between summer and winter, day and night and it is very windy – the Argentinian merino wool is curlier than the Australian wool as it needs to protect the animals from cold and wind. For the same reason, there are no “blowflies” in Patagonia so that the mulesing problem is not even of relevance here. ENGEL uses only Patagonian wool from controlled organic animal husbandry for all its woollen products. All wool products from ENGEL are certified with the quality mark “NATURAL TEXTILE – IVN CERTIFIED BEST”. This is a guarantee for mulesing-free wools. ENGEL uses only wool from controlled organic animal husbandry for all its wool and wool-silk items.

Quality mark for natural textiles granted by the International Association of the Natural Textile Industry (IVN).

The quality mark NATURAL TEXTILE IVN CERTIFIED BEST is a premium label for clothing that is produced according to the currently highest ecological standards. The GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD (GOTS), the international standard label for ecological textiles, is used to label textiles that meet the basic requirements, also at a technically high ecological level. Only companies complying with the strict production guidelines of the IVN receive permission to label their products with this quality mark. Compliance with the criteria is continuously and consistently checked and evaluated at every level of production and for every substance used.

GLOBAL ORGANIC TEXTILE STANDARD

This is the minimum standard that textile products, certified by the IVN, must comply with. It is the internationally established standard label for ecological textiles.

A product must consist of at least 90% natural fibres if it is to bear the GOTS label, a maximum of 10% may consist of synthetic fibres or viscose. The use of up to 25% synthetic fibres is only permitted for socks, leggings and sports wear. Irrespective of this, at least a total of 70% of the fibres must originate from plants or animals from certified organic farming (Controlled organic animal husbandry and biological cultivation). Ecological fibre cultivation refrains from chemical or synthetic pesticides and fertilisers. Species-appropriate husbandry is prescribed. Organic production protects soil, water and air, preserves biodiversity and refrains from the use of genetic engineering. For the treatment of fibres, it is important to restrict certain chemical processes: bleaching is only permitted with oxygen, chlorination of wool is not permitted. Mechanical or thermal methods, however, are unproblematic. Only substances that do not pose a risk to either health or environment and that have been approved by the certification requirements may be used for colouring and printing the fabrics. Colours containing toxic heavy metals, aromatic solvents or the dangerous azo dye group are taboo. Conventionally produced textiles are provided with functional properties, such as “crease-resistant”, “water-repellent” or “anti-pilling”. However, for natural textiles, this “equipment” may only be achieved through thermal and other physical methods. Synthetic substances are only allowed for softening, fulling and felting. Problematic substances such as toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, aromatic solvents, chlorophenols or certain halogen compounds are forbidden in the entire production process. All substances must be biodegradable and may not pollute soil, air and water. Components and accessories such as applications, padding, lining, cords and shoulder pads are made of natural fibres or viscose. The metal of zips must be free from chrome and nickel to avoid allergic reactions. To ensure the quality of textiles, appropriate requirements regarding the colour fastness to light, perspiration, saliva and washing as well as the shrinking properties have been prescribed. All final products must comply with residue limits in respect of a comprehensive list of health-threatening and environmentally harmful substances. The “International Labour Organisation” defines criteria that apply as minimum social criteria for the GOTS: prohibition of forced labour, prohibition of child labour, abuse or discrimination, fair pay, occupational health and safety and freedom of association.

NATURAL TEXTILE CERTIFIED BEST

The certification of the IVN stands for the highest possible ecological standard and surpasses even the requirements of the GOTS. The basic difference is that the textiles must be produced from 100% certified ecological fibres. The list of approved colours and tools is shorter than that for the GOTS, for example, when it comes to colours containing heavy metals, no exception is made for copper. Mercerising, i.e. the finishing of cotton yarns with caustic soda to increase the gloss, is forbidden. Optical bleaching agents are also not permitted. As far as components and accessories are concerned, no padding, embroidery threads or viscose ribbons are permitted; these must also consist of natural fibres.

Source: IVN

Nickel is a silvery-white metal and the most frequent trigger of contact allergies. It is estimated that approx. 2 million people in Germany are sensitised to nickel. Besides, inhaling inorganic nickel compound leads to an increased risk of lung cancer. This is why ENGEL only uses nickel-free materials for press studs and other closures.

Washing

Normal wash cycle

Gentle wash cycle

Special gentle wash cycle (delicates)

Hand wash

The numbers in the wash tub correspond to the maximum wash temperatures that must not be exceeded. The bar below the wash tub demands a (mechanically) more gentle treatment (gentle wash cycle). It identifies wash cycles that are for instance suitable for easy-care and mechanically sensitive items. The double bar identifies wash cycles with further reduced mechanics, e.g. for wool.

**Ironing**

hot ironing

moderately hot ironing

do not iron hot, caution when ironing with steam

do not iron

The dots identify the temperature ranges of irons with controller.

**Tumbler drying**

Drying with normal thermal stress

Drying with reduced thermal stress

No tumbler drying possible

The dots identify the tumbler (tumble dryer) drying stage.

**Bleaching**

Chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach permitted

Only oxygen bleach permitted/no chlorine bleach

Do not bleach

**Professional textile care**

No dry cleaning possible

No wet cleaning possible

The letters refer to dry cleaning and provide an indication of eligible solvents. The bar below the circle demands for a restriction of the mechanical stress, the added moisture and/or the temperature during cleaning.

This symbol can identify items that can be treated with wet cleaning methods. It is added as second line under the symbol for chemical cleaning. The bars under the circle demand for a restriction of the mechanical stress during wet cleaning (see washing).

Sleeve cut, where sleeve and shoulder portion consist of one part. The raglan seam runs from the neck ring across the breast and diagonally across the back to the armhole.

is obtained from the cocoon of the wild silk moth. It designates the long staple fibres that are spun to tussah silk using the spun silk spinning method.

The silk thread is an animal protein fibre that is won from the cocoon of the silkworm. Its structure and properties are similar to wool fibres. The extraordinarily long fibres of natural silk, their tensile strength, yarn count and their characteristic touch turn them into one of the most precious and valuable textile materials. Silk has the gift to regulate the temperature and is particularly skin-friendly, so it is also very suited for people with sensitive skin.

Silk can absorb 40 % of its own weight in moisture. It regenerates – like wool – in fresh air and does not need to be washed that often. It is recommended to hand wash items in warm water without rubbing. Avoid excessive direct sunlight during drying as this can cause the fibre to get brittle and lose its strength.

Wool fibres are protein fibres, and their composition is similar to the human skin. Only the hair of sheep is referred to as wool. All other animal hair, whether obtained from lamas, vicunas, goats, angora rabbits and camels, is not defined as wool although they are all very similar in structure. These are all protein fibres that consist of keratin (horn). Wool fibres have a characteristic structure due to their fine scales that are layered in a tiered structure. When treated incorrectly, these outer scales can become so entangled that the scales firmly interlock, that means the wool turns mat. Virgin wool describes wool fibres that are won by shearing living sheep. Only the primary processing may be referred to as pure virgin wool. Virgin merino wool comes off the merino sheep; it has a fine curl and is supple and soft.

Wool is very elastic. It is dirt- and water-repellent. Wool provides a temperature balancing and heat-regulating effect. It keeps you warmer than any other material. It regulates skin perspiration and the exchange of oxygen. It can absorb up to 1/3 of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet. Thanks to the dirt-repelling habit, frequent washing is unnecessary as wool regenerates itself in combination with oxygen-rich air, i.e. by airing outside.