NATIONAL MILL INVENTORY
The Project
The National Mill Inventory is a project by Fibershed, a non-profit organization working to develop regional and regenerative fiber systems on behalf of independent working producers. This effort began with the goal of illuminating fiber milling capabilities across the United States. Reaching out to mill owners and operators at all scales, we sought to understand what services are offered, what supply chains are possible, and what components need fortification to support a thriving domestic and decentralized textile industry.
As we approach the idea of regionalizing textiles and supporting circular systems that invest in the local economy, we know that our milling partners are key, and understanding their offerings will allow us to support their endeavors. Yet, we frequently receive requests from fiber producers, textile designers, and others searching for a mill to engage in collaboration to create goods. To serve the community and our mission, we began a research project to understand fiber milling at a national scale, and created a navigational tool to foster connection.
Read a summary of our research and learn more about our survey methods and findings, in our report: Click here to download the Mill Inventory report
The Explorer
Get to know fiber and textile mills by filtering data in our relationship-building, navigational tool, the Mill Inventory Explorer. Our goal is to meet a demonstrated community need to connect with fiber processing partners, and to aid in facilitating these connections, we categorized the identified mills by several factors:
- Fiber type: wool (sheep), alpaca, mohair, hemp, cotton
- By services offered: scouring, washing, carding, combing, spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, and dyeing (see below for a few key explanations)
- By minimum accepted volume of fiber: in tiers from 0 lbs to 1000 lbs
The search bar can also be used to enter a specific name or location.
- Due to the wide breadth of mill capacities, a select number of mills are listed with a note: “The scale and services of this mill are suitable for larger brand collaborations only”. For the purpose of illuminating textile milling landscape, we wanted to include all fiber processors, however, not all are open for contract services or willing to share data on their capabilities.
- Scouring is the process of cleaning animal fiber prior to milling, removing lanolin (a natural grease present in sheep’s wool), dirt, and vegetable matter (“VM,” commonly present from hay, feed, or life outdoors). For the purpose of our Mill Inventory Explorer, we created two classifications – “scouring” refers to a scouring line capable of handling larger volumes, while “washing” refers to the ability to clean fiber on-site, without a scouring line.
- Weaving, as a service, is difficult to represent with a broad brushstroke. The Mill Inventory Explorer filter capacity includes all forms of weaving available, from mills that specialize in production weaving to mills that focus on spinning yarn and offer additional rug or blanket weaving. See the section on production weaving in our report for more details.
The National Mill Inventory is based on information collected through internet searches and follow-up conversations as possible. It is intended as an overview and a starting point to understand fiber processing and milling opportunities; it is not a certification nor a membership program. It represents the culmination of data that is accurate to the best of our knowledge, but does not mean that we have established a relationship with each mill.
The Mill Inventory Explorer was developed from publicly available data on websites, through surveys and conversations. If you would like to edit your information or be added to the Mill Inventory, email nationalmillinventory@fibershed.com
A project by Fibershed >
