Wool has been used in clothing for centuries, with strong wool now being used as a pigment in screen printing for a new clothing range.
Christchurch-based Wool Source, an ingredients manufacturer transforming wool into new applications, has developed a world-leading, patented technology to convert strong wool into a colourant for use in screen-printing inks.
Wool Source pigments are ethically sourced, renewable, and traceable pigments with 97 to 98 percent biobased carbon content, meaning the product's carbon is almost entirely derived from a renewable biological source. The pigments are mixed with liquids to form screen printing inks, offering an alternative to synthetic and fossil-fuel-derived pigments.
Kathmandu has applied the innovation in a recently released graphic t-shirt made of 100 percent merino and inspired by Canterbury’s braided river systems, a uniquely local landscape that ties the product back to its natural origins, printed with Wool Source Pigments.
Innovation should do more than reduce harm.
“This is a real example of how innovation and sustainability can complement each other, and the industry as a whole, and now we’ve helped unlock new value for New Zealand's strong wool,” said Kathmandu Head of Product Innovation and Product Sustainability Manu Rastogi.
He added that with March marking B Corp Month, it made sense to unveil the tees at a time when sustainability and responsible business practices are in focus.
For Wool Source Chief Executive Tom Hooper, partnering with a New Zealand brand like Kathmandu was a significant step and demonstrated that Wool Source pigments can be incorporated into traditional commercial processes at scale, delivering a high-quality final product using more environmentally friendly materials.
The development work was built on years of scientific research through the “New Uses for Strong Wool” programme led by the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand and supported by scientists at Lincoln Agritech, wool growers, the wider wool supply chain, the Ministry of Business and Innovation and Employment and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund.
The t-shirts are available online in New Zealand and Australia, and are now being rolled out across New Zealand stores.
