Sheepskin is a reasonably sustainable material: the skin is a secondary product of raising sheep for meat, the wool is a natural fiber that biodegrades, and a well-made sheepskin lasts for many years. Its main environmental cost is tanning, the chemical process that turns a raw hide into leather. Woolmark reports that 100% Merino wool fabric can biodegrade by 95% after 15 weeks buried in soil, while our HiTemp UR medical sheepskins have withstood more than 200 hot wash-and-dry cycles. Down-Under Wool has worked with Australian sheepskin and wool since 1988, and this guide sets out the evidence on both sides, so you can judge for yourself.
Is sheepskin sustainable?
Sheepskin is sustainable in three ways and has one clear drawback. In its favor:
- Source: sheepskins come from sheep raised mainly for meat, so no animal is raised for its skin alone.
- Lifespan: a good sheepskin can be washed and used for years, so it needs replacing far less often than many synthetic alternatives.
- End of life: wool is a natural protein fiber that breaks down in soil and seawater.
Against it: tanning uses chemicals and water, and poorly treated tannery waste pollutes soil and rivers. Whether a particular sheepskin is a good environmental choice depends a lot on how it was tanned and how long you keep it.
Where do sheepskins come from?
Sheepskins come from sheep slaughtered for meat. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) describes hides and skins as "secondary products of the meat industry" whose output depends on how many animals are slaughtered, not on demand for leather. In other words, sheep are not farmed for their skins; tanning the skin uses part of the animal that the meat trade produces anyway.
Wool is different: it is shorn from living sheep, usually once a year, and grows back. Merino sheep need shearing at least once a year, because their wool does not stop growing. For the animal welfare side of the question, see our separate article: is sheepskin ethical?
Is sheepskin biodegradable?
The wool on a sheepskin is biodegradable. Woolmark reports that 100% Merino wool fabrics can biodegrade by 95% after 15 weeks in soil, releasing nitrogen, sulfur and magnesium back into it, though the rate varies with soil, climate and the wool itself. Wool has also been shown to biodegrade in seawater.
The leather side breaks down more slowly. Tanning is done precisely to stop a hide from rotting, so a tanned sheepskin will last much longer in the ground than untreated wool. Even so, unlike polyester, it is a natural material rather than plastic.
What is the environmental cost of tanning?
Tanning is the biggest environmental cost of sheepskin. Washable sheepskins, including medical sheepskins, are chrome tanned: treating the hide with chromium salts is what makes it soft, stable and able to go through repeated washes without shrinking. A sheepskin that was not chrome tanned is usually dry clean only.
The problem is the waste. A 2025 review in Environmental Geochemistry and Health found that effluent from chrome tanning releases chromium that can damage soil, contaminate water and harm human health, and it called for better treatment technologies across the leather industry. How much harm a tannery does depends on how well it treats its wastewater. When you buy sheepskin, it is reasonable to ask where it was tanned and to the standards of which country.
Sheepskin vs faux sheepskin: which is more eco-friendly?
Neither is impact-free, and the trade-offs are different. Faux sheepskin is synthetic pile on a fabric backing, usually made from plastics derived from fossil fuels. It avoids tanning and animal products, but it does not biodegrade like wool, and washing synthetic textiles sheds tiny plastic fibers. The IUCN estimates that particles from washing synthetic clothes and from tire wear are among the largest sources of the plastic that enters the oceans as small particles.
| Real sheepskin | Faux sheepskin | |
|---|---|---|
| Raw material | skin and wool, a secondary product of meat production | synthetic fibers made from fossil fuels |
| Main environmental cost | tanning chemicals and wastewater | plastic production; microfibers shed in the wash |
| End of life | wool biodegrades; tanned leather breaks down slowly | does not biodegrade like natural fibers |
| Lifespan | years with the right care; medical sheepskins take hundreds of washes | depends on the product |
| Animal products | yes | no |
To tell the two apart, see our guide to what sheepskin is and the types of sheepskin.
How long does sheepskin last?
A sheepskin lasts for years if it is washed and dried the right way, and a long life is one of the most sustainable things about it. Our Australian Medical Sheepskins are warranted for at least 50 washes in Woolskin, and HiTemp UR medical sheepskins have withstood more than 200 hot wash-and-dry cycles while staying soft. That matters in hospitals and nursing homes, where one sheepskin can be disinfected and used for many patients in turn. Wool pile pads such as our Pressure Smart XD1900 range are made from wool shorn from living sheep, and are machine washable and dryable.
Are sheepskin boots and slippers eco-friendly?
Sheepskin boots and slippers follow the same rules: they are made from a secondary product of meat production, the wool lining is biodegradable, and they last longer when cared for. Hand wash them in cool water with a sheepskin wash and let them dry naturally, away from heat, to keep them going for years. See our medical slippers and our guide on how to clean sheepskin slippers.
How to make a sheepskin last longer
- Shake and brush it often so it needs washing less.
- Wash it only when needed, in cool or lukewarm water (hot only for HiTemp UR), with a sheepskin wash. Woolskin is water based and biodegradable.
- Avoid household detergents, which can damage the leather for good.
- Dry it slowly, away from direct heat and sun; see our tips for drying sheepskin.
Full instructions are in our guide on how to wash sheepskin.
Sheepskin sustainability FAQs
Is sheepskin a by-product of the meat industry?
Yes. The FAO describes hides and skins as secondary products of the meat industry, produced according to how many animals are slaughtered for meat. Read more in is sheepskin a by-product?
Is lambskin sustainable?
Lambskin is sheepskin from a young sheep, so the same points apply: a secondary product of meat production, a biodegradable wool pile, a long life with care, and tanning as the main environmental cost.
Is wool eco-friendly?
Wool is renewable, because sheep grow a new fleece every year, and it is biodegradable. Like all farming, sheep farming has its own environmental footprint. Read more about what wool is and what makes it special, or compare sheepskin vs wool.
Is faux fur or faux sheepskin better for the environment?
Not clearly. Faux sheepskin avoids tanning and animal products, but it is made from fossil-fuel plastics, sheds microfibers when washed and doesn't biodegrade like wool.
Is sheepskin ethical?
That depends on how the animals were raised and how the skins were sourced. We cover it in a separate article: is sheepskin ethical?
The short version
Sheepskin is a secondary product of meat production, its wool biodegrades, and with the right care it lasts for years, which makes it a reasonably sustainable choice. Tanning is the weak point, so ask where and how a sheepskin was tanned, and make it last with gentle washing. To see sheepskin at its most durable, look at our medical sheepskin range, made to be washed hundreds of times.
