Sicilian Native Wool. From Waste to Resource. A Circular Supply Chain for Made in Sicily

Abstract

This study focuses on Sicilian native wool, historically excluded from industrial supply chains due to its coarse morphology, and explores its regenerative potential across ecological, economic, and cultural dimensions. Developed within the MICS partnership, the research adopts a systemic and collaborative methodology that enables participatory design processes involving local stakeholders, artisans, and institutions. These processes generate application scenarios for the reuse of wool in textile production, educational programmes, and manufacturing contexts. The findings reveal the capacity of this marginalised material to be reconfigured as a high-value circular resource, capable of activating place-based supply chains, enhancing territorial competences, and fostering new forms of ecological citizenship. The project underscores the role of design as an enabling infrastructure for sustainable transitions rooted in proximity, mutualism, and care for place.