WoolWorks' Timaru wool scouring plant has moved from using a coal-fired boiler to an electric boiler. File photo / Klanarong Chitmung
WoolWorks' Timaru wool scouring plant has moved from using a coal-fired boiler to an electric boiler. File photo / Klanarong Chitmung
WoolWorks, New Zealand’s largest wool scouring company, has successfully decarbonised its facility at Timaru following a $9.5 million investment.
The company has replaced a coal-fired boiler with a European 8 Megawatt Electric Boiler, reducing 11,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum - the equivalent of removing 3000 cars off the roads.
The South Island plant is believed to be only the second early-stage textile processor to become decarbonised in the world.
WoolWorks invested $5.85m in the project with EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) contributing $3.65m through the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) fund.
“This is a significant milestone for the company and for Wool Inc. New Zealand,” Rosstan Mazey, business development manager at WoolWorks, said.
While apparel brands had been leading the way with “championing the sustainability aspects of wool,” the earlier stages of the supply chain had been slow to adopt carbon initiatives, Mazey said.
“The ongoing benefits for the wool industry are significant - we have just returned from a sales trip through Europe and the customers that we visited were very clear they wanted product from companies that are committed to climate action.”
Not only was it “the right thing to do,” but the investment also presented WoolWorks with new commercial opportunities, Mazey said.
“For example, companies like VF Corporation, the owner of Icebreaker, have made public pledges to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) of a 55 per cent carbon reduction in their supply chain by 2030.
“Effectively, this means their partners must also demonstrate significant carbon reductions if they want to supply into that chain.”
Maja Sliwinski, investment director at Tanarra Capital Partners, Neil Vinson of Tanarra Capital Partners, with WoolWorks chief executive officer, Nigel Hales, and WoolWorks' business development manager, Rosstan Mazey. Photo / Supplied
Eco-credentials were of growing value to New Zealand’s strong wool industry, as materials and manufacturing processes were now being critiqued by conscious consumers and responsible manufacturers, he said.
“WoolWorks has positioned its business to meet the market needs now, and this is a significant advantage for New Zealand suppliers of woollen products who embrace a sustainable value chain.”
The move would be an investment in the future that would lead to positive benefits for the New Zealand farmer; as exporters would be able to market wool differently, he said.
“International wool customers who are adapting their business to align with modern consumer eco-sourced products will view wool through this zero-carbon processing site as being positive and preferred, versus non-decarbonised wool or synthetic alternatives.”
