As part of the recent launch of the strong wool sector’s plan for the future Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said Wellington-based company Woolchemy will get $80,000 from the Ministry for Primary Industry’s Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund.
Woolchemy co-founder and chief executive Derelee Potroz-Smith says the money will pay for a commercial trial of technology that enables wool to replace petroleum-derived textiles in consumer hygiene products, adding significant value to the raw material produced by NZ strong wool farmers.
The trial aims to commercialise Woolchemy’s neweFlex range of biodegradable and disposable absorbent textiles at scale so they can be supplied by the roll for use on machinery that mass produces fast-moving consumer products like disposable nappies, feminine hygiene and incontinence pads.
The trial will also involve putting neweFlex into nappies to ensure there is no adverse reaction from babies to it.
Potroz-Smith says it’s world-leading technology and the aim is to give NZ strong wool a foothold in the US$47 billion-a-year non-woven textile sector.
Woolchemy’s materials are derived from 33-39 micron NZ coarse wool and the company’s strategy is to collaborate with pharmaceutical and fast-moving consumer goods companies to license intellectual property and supply sustainable non-woven textiles.
Non-woven fabrics, created by placing fibres together then using mechanical bonding to combine them into a cohesive material, are used to make many widely used consumer goods, Potroz-Smith says.
Incorporating wool into the fabrics has a definite advantage – and not just for farmers.
“Most non-woven consumer products are derived from petroleum, which, as well as being non-renewable, does not decompose when sent to landfill.
“We have developed a commercially scalable process to re-engineer wool, initially for use in non-woven hygiene and medical products.
“Our process gives wool greater absorbency, enabling liquids to penetrate the outer cuticle of the fibre, therefore matching the performance of petroleum-derived textiles while adding benefits that only wool provides, such as natural temperature regulation and odour control. Alongside that, our wool products are fully biodegradable.”
International companies from Europe, the United States and China are already interested in the product.
Potroz-Smith says not only are they aware of the natural qualities of wool there is a growing understanding of the need to better harness natural products in the fight against climate change while synthetic fibres are becoming increasingly harder to get as governments step up efforts limit single-use plastic products.
The plan was to have the trial under way by now but covid-19 pushed it back because the machinery used to produce non-woven materials has been in high demand to produce personal protective equipment.
There is no machinery used to create non-woven products in NZ so initially manufacturing would need to be done overseas but Potroz-Smith says if the trial proves successful and the commercial process can be scaled up, then a manufacturing plant in NZ is worth investigating.
Having that machinery in NZ would also mean that if and when another global pandemic arrives PPE could be made here, reducing reliance on buying it in from overseas.
Woolchemy was set up in 2010 by Potroz-Smith and her mother, Angela Potroz.
Its initial creation was neweZorb, a technology that works on wool fibre, yarn, wovens and non-wovens and provides permanent absorbency 25 times that of regular wool and wettability to wool or wool blended textiles so they can be washed and worn over and over again.
However, recognising that 90% of families who buy nappies buy disposables, the company widened its innovation focus to create a natural product that is not only sustainable, it is biodegradable.
Potroz-Smith says about 70% of non-woven nappies are made of plastic and it’s estimated there’s a cup of crude oil in every disposable nappy.
“Although there is huge demand for ecologically sustainable products, consumers still prefer the convenience of disposability and this demand is not likely to change quickly.
“Our basic material combines the two key characteristics consumers seek – disposability and sustainability.
“We aim to assist the production of biodegradable products by manufacturers who currently rely on unsustainable petrochemical based materials.”
Following the trial Woolchemy plans to process up to 12,000 tonnes of coarse wool in the first year.
Potroz-Smith, who grew up on a Taranaki sheep and beef farm, says the versatility of the technology will ultimately see its expansion into other applications including in the medical and industrial sectors such as aerospace.
“We intend to help revive wool.
“Our purpose-driven, solution-oriented strategy focuses on environmental benefit, using renewable, biodegradable wool to replace fossil fuel-derived materials.
“This should reinvigorate demand for coarse wool, adding value to a commodity that has been in decline for decades.
“Our process offers wool growers entry to this large global sector, which should markedly increase their returns.”
