When scoured wool makes better sense

Scoured wool option offers clear advantage

The global COVID-19 virus has put pressure on wool consumption and demand. ‘Despite this, we have continued to invest in and streamline the business, especially in the most important area of energy efficiency’, Nigel Hales, of New Zealand Woolscouring Limited, states. ‘We are genuinely reducing our carbon footprint to meet our Government’s Carbon Zero 2030 strategy.’ ‘Our New Zealand clean, green image is more than just a perception, and even the COVID-19 pandemic that has so disrupted international trade cannot change this immovable fact. Ask anyone what New Zealand is famous for, and growing wool will be at the top of this list.New Zealand wool is still the best strong wool for use in interior textiles for its crimp, colour, and natural attributes. Having it scoured in New Zealand, you can be sure to get the whitest and cleanest scoured wool on earth.’

New Zealand Woolscouring Ltd is a stand-alone commission wool scourer and therefore has no conflict of interest with any customers. It is the only scouring facility in New Zealand, with plants in both the North Island and the South Island.

‘The closure of some scouring companies in China over the last couple of years, and the increasing scouring cost in China means that it makes better commercial sense to import New Zealand wool in scoured form, rather than greasy form’, says Nigel Hales. ‘We have the skills and machinery to provide a one-stop-shop service for buyers of New Zealand wool in China. Our scouring charges are as competitive as any in China or anywhere else in Asia. And although there is a small tax to

Scourline at Canterbury Woolscourers, Timaru

import scoured wool into China, by the time you add all other costs associated with importing greasy wool, it is still more cost effective to import wool in scoured form.’

New Zealand Woolscouring plants operate computer controlled greasy blending systems. These systems include multiple greasy wool openers which individually cope for each style and length of wool. ‘Individual blending orders are tailored for each customer and remain confidential, and of course the customer is guaranteed to receive 100% NZ wool,’ says Nigel Hales.

There is an increasing interest in wool for interior textiles as consumers make choices to buy products that are natural and environmentally sustainable. This is particularly apparent as the negative impacts of synthetic fibres are aired in the public media.

‘Our scouring plants in both the North Island and the South Island are the only ones of their kind

Woolgrease drum with Fernmark licence number

in the world, capable of washing every type of wool, from fine merino for apparel to strong wool for carpets. We can offer our customers the highest level of environmental certification and labelling. We can certify the wool that we scour with EU EcoFlower, GOTS, and RWS’.

‘As part of the process of washing wool, woolgrease is removed from the greasy wool fibre, and recovered for use in pharmaceuticals and lanolin production. It contains cholesterol and Vitamin D. As an upside to the lockdown experienced in many countries, woolgrease sales have skyrocketed, due to increased demand for NF33 Cholesterol, which has been licensed for use in COVID-19 vaccines in the US. Go, the humble sheep, and keep providing woolgrease. Did you know, that Donald Trump is taking Vitamin D supplements as part of his COVID 19 cocktail of medicines?’ says Nigel Hales www.nzwoolscouring.co.nz

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Andrew Legge with insulation ready for export

NZ wool insulates homes in USA and Canada

Wool has been keeping both sheep and humans warm for centuries. But now one American company is using sheep’s wool to give fiberglass and foam insulation a run for their money. Havelock Wool uses 100% natural wool sourced from New Zealand sheep to insulate homes and other buildings.

The Havelock Wool team recently partnered with a Costa Mesa, California based builder to insulate a 17,000-squarefoot residence in the Corona del Mar neighbourhood of Newport Beach, California. The homeowners wanted a material that could handle moisture, especially as the home sits near the ocean. “There was a real concern about moisture and mold,” says Andrew Legge, Managing Partner “Part of wool’s structure is a keratin which will not support the growth of mold.”

Andrew Legge launched Havelock Wool six years ago after encountering builders using the renewable, sustainable, and recyclable wool fibre as a noise and thermal insulation product on a small scale. The 100% wool product can absorb moisture up to 35% of its net weight and will absorb and desorb against 65%

relative humidity, which Legge cites as one of the standout properties of the material. The company produces two insulation products—a batt insulation, typically cut at 48 inches, and a loose fill insulation that can be blown into a wall. The two formats produce high R-values ranging from 7-21 for the batt depending on size, and 11-60 for the loose product based on thickness. Unlike standard insulation, the company says that wool can maintain its R-value for 75 years.

“Condensation and moisture is a major problem in building these days,” Legge says, referring to increasingly enclosed and airtight building envelopes in highperformance homes, which can trap condensation and moisture vapour in wall systems without proper ventilation. “You’ve got a product that is going to work with the challenges that are inherent to the environment because it’s something that has evolved in nature over thousands of years to do just that,” says Legge.

In addition, the amino acids in the wool naturally bond with and trap harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, nitrogen oxide, and sulphur dioxide for cleaner air in homes. It is also flame resistant and self-extinguishing. Havelock Wool does not introduce any synthetic mixes, glues, or bonding agents to the product, but does add a small amount of non-toxic boric acid to make the wool insect repellent and further reduce flammability. Havelock Wool is more expensive than fibreglass and cellulose insulation, the cheapest materials in the industry. However it does cost less than closed-cell foam, one of the costliest and least healthy options on the market. And unlike other insulation products, the installation process does not require any protective clothing or added safety measures.

“We are terrified about the amount of waste we generate, the finite resources we continue to use, the overstuffed landfills and oceans polluted beyond repair,” he says. “Wool as a building material, though a small piece, is a direct solution to each one of these increasingly serious problems. Unless sheep decide to stop producing wool, we’ll always have a renewable and sustainable product.”

NZWTA Ltd Wool Trade Diary

The 2020/21 edition of the NZWTA Ltd Wool Trade Diary is now available. Feedback from customers confirms that the diary is still widely used for connecting with the various sectors of the local industry. Details in the diary such as industry contacts, Wool testing statistics, and sale dates are all available on the NZWTA Website https://www.nzwta.co.nz/ The Trade Diary includes: •

Dates and rostered volumes of national wool auctions;

A comprehensive list of NZWTA and wool industry contacts to assist local and international communications; and

Trends in testing statistics of

New Zealand wool.

A copy of the NZWTA diary can be obtained by emailing testing@nzwta.co.nz