How we make it

In a nutshell, we rescue quality material otherwise heading for landfill, recycle it with our customised, second-hand machinery, then process it in innovative ways resulting in superior performance environmentally friendly products.

First, we procure a carefully selected mixture of clean, recycled wool yarn waste from textile mills, as well as some tail-end waste new sheep's wool, as well as returning Terra Lana off-cut waste from both our factory and from building sites.

Our specialised machinery separates the fibres, blends them with polyester, then layers it all together into many thin sheets to build up the insulation. We use the non-toxic polyester—mostly recycled from PET bottles—to melt bond the wool fibre together because it is a safer and more environmentally friendly ingredient than commercial glues.

The resulting thick blanket passes through an oven gently melting the polyester fibres to form a dimensionally stable, durable product. 

And our other products?

Our landscaping textiles and furniture blankets are made in a similar way, but without the polyester bonding—instead, they are 'knitted' together using a hooked needle punching process that knots the fibres together. Depending on the product, the wool may be blended with other natural fibre for optimal characteristics.

CLOSED-LOOP MANUFACTURING

Linear manufacturing processes are a mounting problem. Increasingly, industries need to find more circular ways to manufacture. That means making things in a way that doesn't deplete limited resources and or produce landfill waste at the end of a products' life.

Here's our 'closed-loop' circular manufacturing process.

1. Wool from hardworking Kiwi sheep—a renewable natural and local resource—begins the cycle.
2. Waste yarn is reclaimed from the wool carpet and textile manufacturing industry.
3. We blend it with polyester—sourced from recycled PET bottles as much as possible.
4. It's all manufactured in our purpose-built local facilities.
5. Off-cuts and waste from the process and from construction sites are reclaimed to the factory to re-enter the cycle.