According to the National Organic Program (NOP), wool is considered an inedible fiber, along with cotton, flax, etc. Inedible fibers are addressed in the Preamble to Final Rule as follows:
“(6) Nonedible Fibers Products in the NOP. Some commenters asked the NOP to clarify the certification status of fibers such as cotton and flax. The final rule allows for certification of organically produced fibers such as cotton and flax. However, the processing of these fibers is not covered by the final rule. Therefore, goods that utilize organic fibers in their manufacture may only be labeled as a "made with..." product; e.g., a cotton shirt labeled "made with organic cotton."
In other words, the sheep must be certified organic in accordance with the NOP livestock standards, or the cotton, flax, etc., must be certified organic in accordance with the NOP crop standards to be identified as organic in a finished product. Also, since fiber processing is not covered in the final rule, there are no synthetic processing aids used in fiber processing on the National List. If synthetic processing aids are used, the resulting fiber product can only be labeled “made with organic (fiber).”
