A Swiss experiment tests sheep wool as an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic ice sheets

As Switzerland struggles to limit the retreat of its glaciers, researchers are conducting an unusual experiment in the Alps to test whether one of its least appreciated natural resources - sheep wool - can contribute to protecting the ice.

Reuters reported that over the years, areas of ice and snow have been covered during the summer with artificial plastic covers, with the aim of reflecting sunlight and reducing heat absorption, at a time when global warming is leading to the melting of ice sheets that have shaped the features of the high Alps for thousands of years.

However, these covers are usually made of plastic, and their presence may result in microfibers contaminating the environment. The Keep It Wool project, led by the Summit Foundation and the University of Lausanne, uses wool instead of blankets to slow the melting of the Zinfleuron Glacier in western Switzerland.

The rise in temperatures to record levels this summer has led to the melting of snow on the glaciers weeks earlier than usual, which almost inevitably leads to the loss of more ice, which contributes to the exacerbation of rock slides, such as the slide that destroyed the village of Platen in 2025, as well as the sudden catastrophic floods that struck the Himalayan region last week.

Project manager Timothy Steiner said that the team wanted to explore an organically biodegradable alternative, while finding a use for Swiss sheep wool, about 40 to 70 percent of which is disposed of annually.

Four master's students at Swiss universities proposed the idea and tried it out in practice.

In June, two wool blankets, designed by the Swiss company Visolan, were placed on an area of ​​200 square meters (2,100 square feet) of the Tsinfleuron Glacier. Throughout the summer, researchers compared their performance to that of a traditional geosynthetic cover.

Preliminary results exceeded expectations, and Steiner said that measurements, which were conducted every two weeks, showed that the wool covers limited the melting of ice almost as efficiently as the synthetic covers.

Niklaus Zgeiser, from the company “Visulan”, said that he was surprised by the durability of the material, adding: “I thought it would not be stable enough.”

Student Elliot Gavio said the team wasn't sure what to expect from the experiment. He added: “We now have a result that we can see, and even touch. "It worked amazingly well."

However, the project's supporters confirm that wool blankets are not a solution to the problem of global warming.

Protective covers cover only about 0.02 percent of the total area of ​​glaciers in Switzerland, while scientists confirm that reducing greenhouse gas emissions, most of which result from fossil fuels, remains the only feasible long-term way to slow ice loss.