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Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt

Biodegradable covers show initial promise as an alternative to plastic tarpaulins.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published Updated
Μάλλινες κουβέρτες κρατούν δροσερό παγετώνα των Άλπεων καθώς η θερμοκρασία ανεβαίνει

What this story says

  • Researchers in Switzerland are experimenting with wool blankets to slow the melting of Alpine glaciers.
  • The project, named 'Keep it Wool', is a collaboration between the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation.
  • Wool blankets are being tested as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which can release microplastics.
  • Initial findings indicate the wool covers are as effective as synthetic ones in reducing ice melt.

Who covered it

Left 35%(6)Centre 47%(9)Right 18%(3)

Percentages are shares of the 18 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 20 of the 38 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

50/100

Craft

61/100

Hype

41/100

38 sources · methodology

Scientists in Switzerland are trialling the use of wool blankets to reduce the melting of Alpine glaciers. The initiative, known as 'Keep it Wool', involves the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation. This project aims to find a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which have been used previously but release microplastics into the environment.

The wool used in the experiment is of low quality and would typically be discarded. Researchers have applied these wool blankets to a section of the Transfle-ron glacier in western Switzerland. Initial results from the summer trials suggest that the wool blankets were as effective as conventional synthetic covers in limiting ice melt.

Researchers involved in the project have stressed that the wool blankets are not a solution to climate change itself. The experiment is focused on mitigating local ice loss.

Coverage comparison

The left-rated report from in.gr detailed the 'Keep it Wool' project, including its origins and the materials used. It explained that researchers are using low-quality wool as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which release microplastics. The report noted that initial results showed the wool blankets were as effective as synthetic covers in reducing ice melt. It quoted project lead Timothée Steiner, who told Reuters that the team wanted to explore a biodegradable option and utilise Swiss wool, of which 40-70% is discarded annually. The report also included comments from Fisolan's Niklaus Siegeser, who expressed surprise at the material's durability, and student Eliott Gaffiot, who stated the team was unsure what to expect but that it "worked incredibly well".

What the coverage left out

None of the reports below mention the specific area covered by the wool blankets, stated as 200 square metres in the in.gr report. The unrated digest from Heti Világgazdaság did not specify the names of the institutions involved in the project, only that "Swiss researchers" were experimenting.

Coverage settled. We checked this 9 times and stopped on 10 Sept 2026, 01:15. The figures above are what it finished at.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

6 rated outlets

  • The left‑rated outlets led on a Swiss experiment that spreads sheep’s wool blankets over a glacier to slow melt caused by rising temperatures. in.gr’s full report, Hot News, SWI swissinfo.ch, Sözcü and Zeit Online all noted that the method replaces synthetic covers with a biodegradable material and that the test took place on the Tsanfleuron Glacier in the Alps.
  • The in.gr article identified the project as “Keep it Wool”, involved the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation, and said low‑quality wool destined for waste was turned into 200 m² of cover. It quoted project leader Timote Steiner, a Fisolan representative and a student, all of whom said the wool performed as well as the synthetic alternative.
  • The digests from Hot News, SWI swissinfo.ch, Sözcü and Zeit Online omitted the project name, the university and foundation partners, the quoted statements and the detail that the wool was low‑quality material repurposed from waste. They also did not mention the measurement schedule or the disclaimer that the blankets are not a climate‑change solution.

Centre

9 rated outlets

  • The centre-rated outlets reported on a Swiss experiment using sheep's wool to slow glacier melt. They noted that researchers are testing wool blankets as a biodegradable alternative to plastic tarpaulins, which are typically used to reflect sunlight and reduce heat absorption.
  • Reports stated that the project, called "Keep It Wool," is being led by the Summit Foundation and the University of Lausanne. Early results from prototype blankets placed on the Tsanfleuron Glacier showed they limited melting as effectively as synthetic covers.
  • Several outlets quoted project manager Timothee Steiner, who said the team wanted to find a use for discarded Swiss wool. Others mentioned Niklaus Saegesser, who expressed surprise at the material's durability, and student Elliot Gaffiot, who said the test worked well.

Right

3 rated outlets

  • Right-rated outlets reported on a Swiss experiment using wool blankets to slow glacier melt. The digests stated that early results suggest the biodegradable blankets could be as effective as synthetic covers in reducing ice loss.
  • Reports mentioned that researchers are testing sheep's wool as a natural resource to help contain the shrinking of glaciers in the Alps.
  • The digests noted that the wool blankets are being compared to synthetic tarpaulins, which have been used to reflect sunlight and reduce heat absorption.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt?
Of the 18 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 35% are rated left, 47% are rated centre, 18% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 38. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 18 rated outlets on this story, 35% are rated left, 47% are rated centre, 18% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt biased?
Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt is one event reported by 38 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Swiss researchers use wool blankets to slow glacier melt?
38 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
What is the 'Keep it Wool' project?
The 'Keep it Wool' project is an initiative by researchers in Switzerland, involving the University of Lausanne and the Summit Foundation. They are experimenting with using wool blankets to slow the melting of Alpine glaciers as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic covers.
Why are researchers using wool blankets on glaciers?
Researchers are using wool blankets as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic tarpaulins, which can release microplastics. The aim is to reduce the rate at which Alpine glaciers are melting due to rising global temperatures.
How effective are the wool blankets?
Initial results from the trials indicate that the wool blankets are as effective as traditional synthetic covers in reducing ice melt. Researchers are monitoring the performance of the wool covers compared to conventional methods.

Read it at the source

38 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

6

Centre

9
Show 1 more

Right

3

Not rated

20
Show 12 more

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