Stemming from a deep respect and knowhow towards the sheep, product and the people working to produce it, our values of traceable wool and a transparent supply chain are at the forefront of our brand. The journey of Rhea knitwear begins with the essential raw material: Merino wool.
Merino is a hero yarn, it's naturally soft, breathable, biodegradable, renewable, wrinkle resident, water repellent, and a naturally resilient raw material that comes from sheep. With such an impressive quality, it's our top priority to know the sheep have a happy and humane life, and we love supporting farmers who share these values.
The Challenge in Monitoring Animal Welfare
As the raw material is literally the first step in the extensive production process of garments, it’s often near impossible for brands to trace the wool back to its origin and guarantee animal welfare.
Our solution
By choosing one of the NATIVA™️ groups' hand-selected farms, that have been carefully chosen based on their commitment to animal welfare and both environmental and socio-economic practices we eliminate an uncertainty. Blockchain Technology guarantees traceability and transparency along the entire value chain ensuring all of us exactly where and how the wool was farmed. Learn more about our transparency.
Working with Blockchain Technology ensures animal welfare via a reoccurring evaluation process and certification. Each NATIVA™️ farmer has a management plan, that assesses feeding, breeding, animal handling & behaviour, health and infrastructure. We are proud to work together with an organisation that on top of the above also provides stress free shearing and the prohibition of mulesing¹.
To ensure the Farms are kept up to standard, tri-annual audits are conducted by a 3rd party where are areas of importance are rechecked.
