Can you guess which one is ZQ-certified?

A second PETA Asia-Pacific investigation into New Zealand’s wool industry has revealed that the abuse and suffering on ZQ-accredited farms is similar to those on farms without any certification.

The sham certification standard was developed and owned by The New Zealand Merino Company. The company calls itself “the world’s leading ethical wool brand” and claims that “sheep producing the wool are humanely treated” – but as this investigation reveals, violence and neglect are systemic in the country’s wool industry nomatter the label

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Watch the ZQ-Certified Wool Investigation

New Zealand’s wool industry is rife with rampant abuse at every stage of operations—from terrified lambs enduring agonizing mutilations without any pain relief to shearers punching struggling sheep in the face and slamming them to the floor. Workers were seen cutting holes in lambs’ ears and burning their tails off with a hot iron, without administering any pain relief. The bodies of dead sheep were scattered around the properties, including one whose remains were tossed from the second floor of a shearing shed.

These investigations—spanning 11 ZQ-certified and 23 non-accredited wool operations across New Zealand—highlight that violence and neglect are systemic in the country’s wool industry, regardless of accreditation. PETA Asia has submitted evidence from every farm to the Ministry for Primary Industries, calling for an investigation and charges for apparent violations of animal cruelty laws.

Urge Brands to Ditch Wool

PETA’s exposés from Australia to England, Argentina to the U.S., and now New Zealand have proved that violence against sheep in the wool industry is pervasive, and we must hold companies accountable for supporting such cruelty. Brands like Allbirds, Fjällräven, Helly Hansen, icebreaker, Smartwool, and LVMH’s Loro Piana use the ZQ certification to market wool – urge them to stop selling wool now!