Sheep & Wool

Technical advantages

Wool has been utilised by humans since the dawn of time. Its survival as an elite fibre in the modern era is a reflection of its unique properties and the preference of many consumers for a natural fibre produced from a sustainable farming system.

Among the wools of the world, New Zealand wool achieves standards of excellence that other suppliers seek to emulate. Some of its technical advantages over fibres and wools from other origins include:

For the manufacturer

• Strong and uniform, largely free of dark or pigmented fibre
• Excellent dyeing characteristics
• Excellent natural colour, giving bright and clean pastel shades
• Produces yarn with good twist retention characteristics
• Available in large quantities of consistent quality, producing excellent end-product consistency

For the consumer

• Clean and low in wool grease content (0.5%) and therefore low soiling
• Wears well. Natural elasticity allows it to be stretched up to 30 per cent without breaking
• The overlapping scales on wool fibres keep dust and dirt near the surface, making fabrics and carpets easier to clean than those made from other fibres
• Naturally flame-resistant, difficult to ignite and self-extinguishing
• An outer membrane of the fibre (the epicuticle) repels water droplets
• Insulates against cold. Air trapped between its crimped fibres, keeps the body warm in cold weather
• Insulates against heat. Wool allows enough air to pass through the fibres to remove moisture from the skin surface during exertion or warmer weather
• Absorbs up to one-third of its weight in moisture through cuticle pores, without feeling 'wet'
• Moisture absorbed from the air limits its ability to collect static electricity
• When used in wool carpets and furnishings, helps make the indoor environment more comfortable by retaining and releasing moisture during periods of high or low atmospheric humidity

Just imagine

Wool is the most versatile fibre known, with uses that range from wick booms used to contain oil slicks, to fashion textiles of impeccable drape and style. Among the uses of New Zealand wool are:

• Blankets
• Carpets
• Extreme sportswear
• Fashion knitwear
• Felted cold weather garments
• Filters
• Hosiery
• Industrial felts
• Insulating materials
• Mulch matting
• Protective garments
• Rugs
• Shoe linings
• Suiting fabrics
• Tennis ball covers
• Upholstery
• Wall coverings
• Wick booms
• Woven suitings (high end)

The uses of New Zealand wool are limited only by the imagination.

End uses of New Zealand wool

Pie graph and table showing the end uses of New Zealand wool

New frontiers

New Zealand wool keeps its place in the highly competitive world of textiles by constant innovation on the farm, in the factory and in the design studios.

For processors and manufacturers of New Zealand wool, much of this innovation originates at the Wool Research Organisation (WRONZ) in Christchurch. WRONZ research funded by Wools of New Zealand and the New Zealand Wool Group includes new technologies that:

• Enhance the visual appeal, performance and health benefits of NZ wool products
• Improve processing efficiency
• Make NZ wool suitable for a wider range of end uses.

Some examples of commercialised technologies are:

Lanalbin APB

Lanalbin APB is an agent applied in wool scours to eliminate photobleaching in wool carpets exposed to sunlight. New Zealand scoured wool treated with Lanalbin APB is marketed by exporters under the brand name FERNplus APB.

Fernmaster Needle

The Fernmaster Needle improves the appearance of tufted carpets and enhances the efficiency with which they are manufactured.

Trutrac

Trutrac prevents the change of appearance of carpets commonly known as shading or watermarking. It involves the application of controlled pressure to permanently set the pile orientation in the carpet.

Solospun

Solospun spinning technology enables wool to be used in a single warp yarn for the first time. Jointly funded by the NZ Wool Group, WRONZ, Australia's CSIRO and the International Wool Secretariat, Solospun allows spinners to produce lightweight fabrics faster and at lower cost than traditional woven fabric manufacturing systems.

Links

Wool Research Organisation – www.wronz.org.nz/
Wools of New Zealand – www.fernmark.com
New Zealand Wool Group – www.woolgroup.co.nz/