The Best Sustainable and Ethical Knitting Yarns For Your Next Project

The brands listed below have some great natural, biodegradable, and non-toxic yarns. But if you’re in a craft store in front of an overwhelming wall of yarn, here’s what to look for:

Wool: Of course, it matters where the wool is being sourced from and how the animals are being treated, but when sourced ethically, wool can actually be beneficial for the environment, since it helps to sequester carbon from our atmosphere and into the soil. Specifically, alpaca wool is super soft, durable, and performs better than other fibers like cashmere or polyester. You can also go for American or Argentinian wool, where sheep don’t undergo mulesing, which is when the skin folds around their derriere are cut to protect them from black fly infections, which are fatal.

Silk: Since silk is an animal product, it’s been the subject of controversy among conscious consumers. But the truth is, silk production can be done in a very eco-friendly, closed-loop way. Plus, the “less cruel” Peace Silk is actually not as great as some say it is. You can read about that in-depth here.

Upcycled: Although you’re still dealing with the microfiber issue, upcycled yarn is always a better choice than using virgin fibers. It saves some of those synthetic materials from our landfills and oceans and gives them a second life, plus has a lower carbon footprint.

Organic cotton: Organic is always better, as it’s grown without any toxic chemicals or synthetic fertilizers.

Tencel: The conscious consumer’s dream, Tencel (generically called lyocell) is made out of sustainably-sourced eucalyptus trees using a completely closed-loop system.

Local or Artisan: Only buy from brands that can show you how the yarn is made and where. That could be from a local farm in California, or from a cooperative in Peru. Transparency isn’t just the right thing to do, it also makes the process of choosing your yarn more meaningful and fun!

Our Favorite Beautiful, Sustainable, and Ethical Yarn Brands

Wool and the Gang

Wool and the Gang doesn’t just carry wool. It offers non-toxic Tencel yarn made from 100% renewable energy, wool made from pre-consumer waste fibers, sustainably-sourced Peruvian wool, and upcycled denim and jersey yarn made from fashion factory scraps. You can read a lot about each type of yarn and its sustainable characteristics right on the website. You can also get knitting and crochet kits and tools, too.

London, United Kingdom

We Are Knitters

All of We Are Knitters’ fibers are natural and made in Peru. You can find yarns made out of sheep wool, baby alpaca, merino and Pima cotton. The brand has all kinds of kits for every level knitters, along with other supplies, patterns and video tutorials.

Madrid, Spain

Loopy Mango

Every ball of Loopy Mango yarn is sustainably sourced from 100% domestic merino wool and is hand-crafted by artisans. The brand has all kinds of fun-colored yarn, knitting and crocheting tools, video tutorials, and free patterns.

Natural Recycled Yarn

Misti Nolan takes discarded sweaters, unravels them, and turns them into 100% recycled yarn for your next project. You can see the before and after photos of the sweaters and yarn on her Instagram and shop by yarn type (cashmere, alpaca, cotton, linen, wool, blends, and more) on her Etsy store.

Darn Good Yarn

Darn Good Yarn started with 100% silk from recycled saris and now carries other types of natural fibers like hemp, wool and linen. From the artisan who hand spins the yarn to the person who fulfills the packages, every piece of the Darn Good Yarn supply chain makes a positive impact in some way, whether through job creation or non-profit partnership. It also carries kits and patterns, yarn bowls, pre-made clothing, jewelry, home goods, and more.